Not Just a Hamster, Not Just a Villain
by ngrey651
Summary: He was left to die in a frozen escape pod...instead he landed in future Kokaua Town, and who should find him but the kids of the experiments? With Lilo and Mytle's grandchildren helping him, Hamsterviel just might find an ohana in this time. Read, review!
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

_Hello everyone! For those of you who don't know who I am, you might be able to guess sooner or later, because by the power of Grayskull I'm gonna show up sooner or later myself! _

_Now, Lilo's had a pretty rough life. Her parents dead before she's out of elementary school. Living with her big sister. Almost taken away from said sister, ostracized for a good deal of her life for being weird. Then finally she caught a break: an amazing yet unlikely angel came down: an alien experiment with the title 626. _

_She renamed him Stitch. She taught him the importance of ohana, and gained an "aunt" and an "uncle". The rest is history. _

_But things changed greatly since that moment. Stitch found out he had cousins…other experiments. 625 of them to be exact, and that number increased by two with time! Now all of them have a one-true-place of sorts…even though a couple of their one true places are in jail. _

_Speaking of jail, somebody else is located there…on an intergalactic asteroid prison. _

_You see, Jumba had been led into creating the experiments by an old childhood friend, college buddy and business partner. An albino alien rodent named Dr. Jacques Hamsterviel. Now the work at first was a joint project between him and Jumba for the first batch…but then Jacques (who had never been the creative type) decided he'd rather pay for Jumba's future equipment and be a funder instead of a "hands-on" evil genius. _

_So Hammy paid for the experiments, you could say. And Hammy did say. But the thing was, Hammy also happened to be more evil than Jumba. And he tried to steal the experiments back (including 626) by hiring help. He failed time and time again. Ultimately he came up with a plan that involved Jumba altering an experiment…and the end result was Leroy. _

_Leroy almost destroyed Stitch and the others due to the fact that he had 10,000 clones made (that's one evil bunny!), but ultimately he failed, and he, his clones and Hamsterviel were sent to prison._

_But what people don't know is that Hamsterviel's not exactly who you think he is…nor is his story over. For while he's trapped on the asteroid for now, he's got to deal with living amongst his former creations who are quite mad at him for getting them in jail in the first place…_

_And unlike Jumba, Hammy has no ohana to help him…so whatever steps he needs to take to change the eventual, cruel fate that awaits him at the end of his path…_

_He'll have to take them alone. _

_Or at least…that's what they all thought…_

**DEAR JUMBA...**

Hello Jumba. First of all, I wish to say this is...very awkward.

Being stuck in prison is...well...it's not pleasant. At all. It wasn't before pleasant for me when I lost to you and your family, and it isn't better now, six months later.

The worst part of everything is I am surrounded on all sides by reminders of a foolish, stupid, idiotic venture of my own making. By which I mean Leroy.

Yes, Leroy. And yes, if it sounds like I'm sorry, it is because, quite frankly…I am.

I'd talk to you as Rupert, but I'm not...well, not willing. I'm still angry and-

Anyhow, I haven't much more room to write. I'm just grateful that the girl was nice enough to send me some paper...but I can only send one letter per week. So I need to make the most of it.

In any case, the food is not a problem. The beds are alright. But Leroy...Leroy SNORES, he picks and flicks his boogers on the walls, he likes to hog the bathrooms, and worst of all...

WORST of all, there are 10,000 of him and his clones here!...I do not believe I am going to be able to live through this ordeal without help.

Wishing you were here (so I would have someone on my intellectual level to talk to)...

Jacques von Hamsterviel.

**DEAR JUMBA... **

Once more, hello again, Jumba. It's been a little more than one week since I spoke with you and things have gotten worse.

Firstly, you might be wondering why I waited 6 months before writing to you...why not wait longer, or write sooner?

Well, I DO have pride...okay, not really, but I was sulking and waiting, and I'm trying to salvage whatever remains by writing now.

Leroy and his clones are beginning to make plans. They've been speaking with the other prisoners. They're up to something. There is a feeling of bloodlust all around.

If you don't believe me, let me share a story with you. Yesterday somebody yelled out "Food fight", and at first I was sort of excited, after seeing that movie...um...

Er, wait! Animal house, that was the name. I'd seen that movie and a food fight looked fun. But...er...it wasn't at all like I thought it would be.

Those ANIMALS went wild! This is the big house, not any Animal House...

It was the first time I have ever seen someone (in this case, a foolish guard) beaten to death with a vegetable...I'm never going to make it for 17 and a half more years.

REALLY wishing you were here and talking with me...

Jacques von Hamsterviel

**DEAR JUMBA...**

Yesterday, my fears were confirmed after an interview with a good, dear friend. Somehow I can't remember his name, yet...I know he's important to me...

Meeting him made me realize how much I miss the way things were back in school, back when we were in E.G.O. Why, I even miss that sleazeball Rahry...

Do you miss those days? I know I do. I find myself longing to feel my fiddle or my violin back in my hand, but...it was broken into pieces by Omega Leroy a week ago...

In any case, one of the aliens who regularly meets with Omega Leroy and his clones threatened to pull a "Stephen Lynch" on me. I had never heard of him until that moment.

Then, perhaps out of pity, one of the guards allowed me to use the internet on his laptop. I looked up "Stephen Lynch". I had just discovered who he was and the songs he'd done when I was pulled from behind...I realized too late that what they planned to do was exactly what happened to my uncle, the revolutionary. They tried to kill him three times, and the first time didn't work. Neither did this attempt. ...I wish it had.

Even worse, my cell mate finally opened up to me. "Why is that so bad?" I can already hear you ask. Well he says he "Strangled East Turo".

...and he's not a sports enthusiast.

Jumba...please...

GET ME OUT, **GET ME OUT, GET ME ****OOOOUUUUTTTT!**

Your friend...

Jacques

**DEAR JUMBA...**

I wish to apologize for not writing sooner. I know it's been almost a month since my last letter, but there was a problem.

You see...I have been...moved.

I'm in my own private room in the most secure room I could have ever imagined myself being in.

The walls are colored black, cold and harsh to the touch. There is an unmistakable chill inside that frightens me. The only light comes from a single bulb above the toilet in my room and the door to my cell. The floor is stainless and grey, and slippery at times. The bed is the only comfort I have, it comes with a down blanket and is fluffy and soft. Curling up within it, I feel safe, I feel protected. It is the only true light that keeps me going through the dark tunnel that is my life now. A dark tunnel that will take 18 years if I am unlucky.

I know that if I do well and are lucky, they will cut my sentence down, but I am afraid...afraid of leaving. I don't belong out there, or with you. You belong at that island. I don't. I don't know what I am supposed to do anymore.

All I do know is that the bed is amazing. I dream frequently, you know, and...

And I'd love to tell you more about it, but I feel so sleepy all the time...I need my rest. I will write more later.

Sincerely...

Jacques

**DEAR JUMBA...**

I'm always so tired.

I don't know why, but I am. And so my bed has become my only solace. Slowly but surely I am drawn into it day after day, into blissful sleep.

I dream all the time now. Often they have a home-movie quality around them...of the old days, of back when we were in school together, back when we were partners and friends, destined for greatness.

So my life becomes routine, slowly but surely...

I drift in and out, and my nights are so much like my nights I've had to keep a calendar to remind myself how many days have passed. My dreams and my reality intermingle, swirling together until I don't know when I am awake or asleep anymore.

Nothing seems truly "real" except when I'm in bed or writing to you. I wish I could SPEAK with someone, but...well, I haven't seen anyone passing by my door, haven't heard anyone come to me. My food is teleported in, as are your replies...

I am grateful for your words. And I am glad that the girl sent that scratch-and-sniff stamp of...what was it? Oh yes, "The Wolfman". It really does smell like wet dog!

Give my regards to her. I hope to write more later. I'm sorry my writing has become monthly instead of weekly, but I am running out of paper...and noteworthy things to write of.

Farewell for now...

Jacques

**DEAR JUMBA...**

I think it may soon be time for me to say "Au Revoir" to my sanity. I do not honestly believe I will be able to last much longer.

I only have found comfort in the letters you and your _ohana_ write back, and the bed I stay in all the time. But I cannot continue like this. I cannot last in this state. I am sleeping awake...I am hallucinating occasionally, my dreams crossing the barrier of sleep to wreck havoc on my well-being.

I don't know if I can ever, ever expect you to forgive me, yet...I am afraid. Afraid to lose my sanity, my mind...after all, my mind is what I treasure the most.

My head is swimming as I'm writing. I blink constantly. The light flicking...I've been COUNTING it, Jumba...every third flicker takes longer, do you see how desperate I am for something to do?

I've been living in a fishbowl for so long that I'm starting to imagine that Leroy and the other experiments are...are...well, they whisper to me at night when I sleep...

Leroy's voice is gruff and harsh, but there is a dark, authoritative quality to it. I feel I ought to listen, or he'll rend my very soul. He puts his clawed hand on my neck and tells me to drown myself in the toilet...

Then 627...I forget, what does he call himself now? I can't remember...he always pulls me away, and I hear that tough, growl as he laughs and says I should escape and get revenge upon all that wronged me.

Then...that, that dark 561, the most frightening being of all, his black eyes gaze into me, as his draconic wings stretch out impossibly far, and his calm, charmingly dark voice tells me to give into insanity, allow the darkness to claim me, it would be kinder than death...

621 is next to come...I wish I could remember his name, or 561's now...why, why can't I remember their names? I used to be able to name all of the experiments, now everything is fuzzy. 621 tells me I should beg for help, someone, ANYONE might come when I call out from my cell. Though his aura of rebellion surrounds him, there is a subtle kindness to his tone. He...he pities me...

But he is just like the others at times...at times when they torture me in my sleep, they tear me apart from each other's sides, demanding I follow THEIR ideas, not anyone else's. I am so afraid...

Jumba...what can I do?

...Jacques

**DEAR JUMBA...**

I'm scared. Very scared.

I hear voices now. I am definitely being driven insane...

There is a dark force that tempts me now at night. The others fade away after trying to make me follow their suggestions for how to end my turmoil, my suffering, my pain.

The force comes sooner and sooner...at first the experiments I would dream of would torture me for hours, but now it becomes minutes, and then seconds...and then it appears.

"_Come to us. Join us. All things return to the darkness, give in and we shall break you free.  
All shall fall before the darkness, before the supreme, blackest hearts.  
All has now been prophesized, all shall come to pass.  
We know what has been, what happens now, and what shall come to be. Come forth, come forth, supplanter...it's time to play your part."_

That voice has become more and more appealing.

Oh Jumba, I'm losing my sanity! Maybe I'm self-delusional...or what if this is some horrific joke being played on me by who-knows-who?

It's not unusual for this sort of thing to happen to people who are locked up and secluded, but what I fear is that this is not merely a slow shedding of my sanity, but...but something far more sinister.

Jumba...please...send somebody...I'm scared...

Rupert "Jacques" von Hamsterviel

**DEAR JUMBA...**

It's happened. I saw it. I saw it. Not a he. Not a she. An it.

Its face was hidden. I only saw eyes. They had no light. They had no soul. They carried only a sense of something frightening and on a higher level of...of EXISTING. It was like some dark entity of supreme power.

And it beckoned with a hand that had no hair, no folds, no fur, no fingernails or any kind of features. It beckoned me.

I know I screamed so loud I finally alerted the guards, but before they could open the door, the thing was gone.

Jumba, thank goodness they came...but they think I was causing trouble. Nobody trusts me, I DID try to take over the galaxy and I DID succeed...though not for very long.

I have only two pieces of paper left, including this one. Please, please...send something to help me. Ask the girl. Build something. I'm begging you...

I can't stand another night...I know this letter will take a few days to reach you from the prison, but I will not sleep...closing my eyes tempts that thing to come back, I know it does.

Please, PLEASE help.

Rupert von Hamsterviel

**DEAR JUMBA…**

This is it. My very, very last letter to you.

I had been going insane. But that girl...what she sent was genius. I couldn't believe it worked.

That cross of hers was incredible. It was "baptized", correct? By a "Father Joe" and experiment 620?

I remember 620, he was a very gentle, kind being. Also he liked to hug people and say "oh brothers and sisters, is it not a FINE day" or some other such statement.

I hid the cross in my clothes and waited for sleep to take me. When it did, the thing appeared again. But this time I was ready. I did what the girl said and held the cross up.

The thing reeled back, but what really finished it off was the song the girl told me to sing. I pronounced it PERFECTLY. "Quand vous pleurez parce que ça fait mal, cela ne signifie pas que vous n'êtes pas entendus. Parce que à haute voix dans le ciel, les anges pleurent avec vous!"

It worked! That thing screamed like somebody was screwing rusty nails into its skull and it vanished in a blurry haze.

Now it's gone...but I'm still in prison. At least I don't have to worry about that...that whatever it was. I just know it wasn't anything good.

...I don't know when I'll be able to get more paper. So I want to say something.

For everything I have ever done to you Jumba...I'm sorry. Je suis donc très, très désolé mon cher partenaire…mon ami.

Goodbye...

Rupert

**Author's note:**

**I just like the character far too much to simply let him stay in prison and do nothing but rot away without anything interesting happening to him. So what do you think so far? Read and review by all means! And yes, "Hammy's" real name is Rupert, for those of you who doubt. It's revealed in "Nosy". **

**Note: this is, by no means, the end of the story either. I intend to see this through to the beginning so as to develop the story, the character of Hammy and those who he'll interact with. So stick around. (Winks)**


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

**For those of you who are interested, there are character breakdowns and whatnot on my profile page. And of course, feel free to read and review! Don't be shy. **

**CHAPTER ONE**

The once-great, once-feared scientist that so much of the galaxy mistook for a gerbil stared out the window of the hallway he was in at the prison asteroid of DL-7. He hated it. Hated, hated, HATED being here. He'd been suffering terrible stress and conditions recently, so terrible he'd worried that he'd be driven to insanity.

Luckily he'd been saved. Ironically, that had only happened because he'd done the one thing he would have been LOATHE to do...ask that little girl and her family for help. Yet he had. And he'd lived.

And now as he stared out the window as the stars twinkled, he couldn't help but think one thing: he hated everything about his life. He hated everything in his life right now, he always had had hatred in him.

...no, that wasn't right.

There had been a time when he'd been irritated, but hatred? No. It had been those school years. 10 beautiful years. The best decade of his life, and he'd thought, quite possibly some of Jumba's best years too.

He and his brother were always picked on. The school was filled with predatory types who enjoyed pushing around his kind of people. But Jumba had been there and-

Oh, that...that jerk! It was all his fault! Why should he care?! He walked down the hallway in his latest present, a blue vest given to him by a dear old friend. Inside, he knew he'd have to return to his cell in ten minutes. But he only had a half an hour to walk around, and he wanted to spend it well.

He headed to a doorway he'd never been in before, and approached it, opening it up. What the? An...an escape pod room?

He'd...he'd found it! A hidden, prisoner-made escape room, no doubt intended for use at some point, an escape that had been thwarted...but the pod was still there, and perfectly operating...

He reached out for its controls...

And was shoved inside. He gasped and turned around as a pair of cruel, evil black eyes laughed, and yellow, rotten teeth clacked. Omega Leroy and his clones all waved cheekily as the door closed and "Hammy" banged uselessly on the door.

"We knew you'd fall for this!" The original Leroy laughed. "Now at last you're dead meat! You'll freeze to death in there! So long, RAT!" He threw his head back and roared with laughter, laughter echoed by his clones...

And the pod disconnected, the temperature dropping madly in the pod. Hammy shivered. No, no, this can't be happening, this had to be a bad dream...

He tried to reach for the controls, but he felt so sluggish...it was like trying to wade through mud that was up to his neck, he could barely move foward. Eventually he felt a terrible chill go through him, and then...nothing.

..."AAAA!" He screamed as he was jolted awake. The door came flying off and sunlight came shining in. He groaned and stepped out of the pod. What the?

A group of strange, yet familiar faces appeared. All of them alien...all of them...belonging to experiments!

"Who are you?" One asked.

"W-who am I? Who are YOU?"

The one that had spoken looked a lot like a turquoise 627. She had yellow stripes, and the distinctive feature of a cheerleader: she could YELL. "Say WHAAAA? You don't know who I am? I'm Bellatrix!" She helped him out of the escape pod and he looked around.

Five experiments surrounded him. One was an experiment with a crystalline-shine to his body, a cross around his neck made of wood. He had a cone-like head and had angelic wings. The one nearest Bellatrix had a curved head with orange skin and dark blue tattoos on his body. "That one with the cross is Jude, and THIS is my brother, David." She said. "You might recognize him from The Legionairres, they're a famous rock band."

"...and that one with dark red fur? The one with horns?"

"Oh, that's-"

The dark-looking experiment ah-hemed, shutting Bellatrix up. He stepped foward. Hamsterviel noticed that he had the same sort of ruffled ear of...no, it couldn't be...

"I'm Jenkins, alright? But I prefer "Jay", got it? And that guy who saw you land, he's the one you should thank. He's the one who convinced us to come."

Hamsterviel looked over at this experiment. He was the splitting image of 626, save for some slightly longer hair at the top, and a v insignia crest on his chest. He had a tiki necklace around his neck, and as he lowered his sunglasses, Hamsterviel heard him speak. "I'm Sandy." He said, and Hamsterviel understood why, his voice sounded like sand rippling through your fingers. "Now, what's your name?"

Hamsterviel wasn't sure what to say. Then he decided. He'd use his first name.

"Rupert." He said. "Say...am...am I in Kokaua Town? Is that where I landed?"

"Got it in one!" Sandy said. "Smart, aren'tcha? We don't get aliens as often as we'd like, but that's okay! Come on, let me show you around town..."

"What...what I'd like is to know where I could find Jumba Jookiba, actually." Hamsterviel asked.

They all clammed up. "What? What is it?" Hamsterviel asked.

"...er...didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"...well, we'll show you where he is, but..." Jude spoke up, his voice soft and beautiful, like that of a choir boy. "Here, follow me..."

_With the perfect liiiife.  
Where you never die... _

..."this is it..." Jude said, letting Hamsterviel inside. "I...I have to do confessional duties today. Come see me later, Rupert."

He walked off as Hamsterviel walked along the glass, slowly moving until he found him.

Jumba.

_With the perfect liiiiife, Where you never diiiiie! _

"No. No." Rupert said, tears brimming in his eyes. "No, no, no, no, no..."

JUMBA JOOKIBA. 1968-2062.

"No, no, no, NO, NO..."

BRILLIANT SCIENTIST.

"No...no! Nooo!

DEVOTED FATHER.

"Noo! NO!"

GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN.

"NO! NO! NO-NO-NOOOOO!" Hamsterviel howled as he banged on the gravestone uselessly with his furry paws as the skies darkened above him, what little sun was out now was being swallowed, the light distorting as clouds moved quickly across the sky above him. It couldn't be. It could not be. It was supposed to be HIM, not his best friend. He was the weak one, not Jumba. He was the dumber one, the smaller one.

The only one left of the threesome that had been the smartest children in their school. The top three graduates of Evil Genius University.

And now he, Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel, was the only one left.

_With the perfect liiiiiiiiiiife... _

A hand came down gently on his shoulder. It was Sandy.

"Hey...you okay, Mr. Rupert?" Sandy asked.

_Where you never diiiiiiiiie... _

Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel felt his hands move slowly down the gravestone as the rain fell down gently upon the graveyard, making little "fwap-fwap" noises as it hit his fur, which absorbed it, and the "plip-plop" of rain dripping off his little pink nose reverberated in his head.

And then he buried his face in a total stranger's chest and clung tightly, getting Sandy wet with more than rain. Sandy patted him on the head and led him away as the rain began to fall harder and harder.

"Come on." Sandy said comfortingly. "I'll take you home."

_You just press...rewiiiiiind…_

**Preview of next chapter!**

_"No." Sandy stated. "I mean, yes, I snuck him in, but he's not Link's son. He's an alien from outer space, not from one of my aunts or uncles. This is Rupert. Rupert, this is Daveigh Pelekai."_

_..._

__

"I'm Rupert." Rupert said. "I'd like to speak with your mother, Mrs. Edmonds." He asked politely. "You see I haven't been in Kokaua Town in years and she's the only one who might remember me."

...

Rupert nodded his head. "I understand, Myrtle." He said quietly. "Hey…how about I tell you a little about my own family?"

Myrtle smiled. "I think I'd like that."


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

Rupert didn't awake until the blaring of an alarm clock downstairs reached his sensitive ears. He shot up, blinking his red eyes rapidly. He looked around, thinking. Where was he again? Oh, right, he'd been taken to Sandy's house, he was in that rooftop dome room, in a hanging-down bed that had been installed on the wall near a window just five inches away.

He looked down and saw Sandy stretch his arms, yawning as he stood up and hopped out of his own bed. Above him was a Hawaiian girl who so closely resembled the girl named Lilo that it was scary. She had greenish eyes instead of brown and her skin was a little lighter, but other than that…

"Alohaaa!" She said to the morning as she stretched her arms. She was wearing a pale blue PJ dress. Hopping out of bed, she rumpled Sandy's hair. "Didja sleep well, Sandy?"

"Just great, Daveigh." Sandy stated, smiling. "Mr. Rupert, how did you sleep?" He asked the albino alien rodent.

Rupert smiled a little and nodded his head slightly. "Fairly well." He admitted.

Daveigh blinked. "Wait, who's this? Did you sneak him in while I was sleeping because he needed a place to sleep? Is he one of Link's sons?"

Rupert blinked. "Wait, so-oh, right! I forgot, Jumba designed the experiments so that they could have children well into old age, correct?"

"Yeah, although it gets weird since Crystallene had her kid at 78 and now her son is 12 and yeah, Jude is so sweet and nice but it's weird thinking of somebody that old getting freaky-and-doink...so are you one of Link's sons?" Daveigh asked.

"No." Sandy stated. "I mean, yes, I snuck him in, but he's not Link's son. He's an alien from outer space, not from one of my aunts or uncles. This is Rupert. Rupert, this is Daveigh Pelekai."

Rupert leapt down from the bed and bowed politely. "It is very nice to meet you, Ms. Pelekai." He stated.

"Are you a gerbil?" Daviegh asked.

"Hamster. HAMSTER!" Rupert complained angrily. Then he covered his mouth. "Sorry…" He blurted out. "I, uh…I don't like being called a gerbil, it's a pet peeve I have."

"It's alright." Daviegh said. "I don't people calling me "Davey". People keep misspelling my name all the time."

As Sandy and Daveigh led Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel to the elevator and down to the main room, Sandy explained a couple things to Rupert. "Now, a lot of the experiments come over for Sunday brunch that Emeril cooks up."

"Emeril?"

"He's Frenchfry's son." Daveigh said. "And I gotta tell you…"

…

…

…"This is the greatest batch of scrambled eggs I've ever had!" Rupert stated, mouth half full as he sat up on a high-seat at the kitchen table. Emeril was a short little experiment with a chef's hat, curly black hair on his head and blue skin. He also had a spatula for a tail, just like his father, only he also had a egg-beater tail, a hammer tail and a knife tail as well, all for cooking purposes.

At the table were the same experiments Rupert had met yesterday, along with several others. One resembled a Chinese Dragon with gold and pink stripes on his skin, another looked an awful lot like a stoat with blue skin and finned crests upon his head. The most noticeable one was a large experiment with a bloated stomach, a jolly expression, and a HUGE butt. She had purple and orange skin, and was slurping down her eggs like they were ambrosia of the Gods.

"Uh…who are these lovely people?" Rupert asked, intrigued especially by the last one.

"Me nombre es Electridad." The first one said. His voice crackled, yet there was an unmistakable Spanish ring to it.

"I'm Yo." The second one said. "Nice to meetcha."

"I'm Bee-bee." The third one said. "Hiyuh."

The two humans at the table (besides Daveigh) were her mother and father. The father had red-tinted hair and green eyes, while the mother looked remarkably like the older girl Hamsterviel knew as Lilo Pelekai's sister. In fact, he vaguely remembered once that he'd snuck into their house and had drawn on the older sister's face with a big black marker while he was stealing an invention of Jumba's. But that had been a long time ago.

Finally he asked a question that was on his mind.

"I know that Jumba is gone. But…I wish to know…are Experiment 626 and Lilo Pelekai still?..."

They all shook their heads. "No, no, Stitch...he...he kinda broke down when Jumba passed away and he lost it when Lilo died last year." Daveigh said quietly. "I really miss her. She was…she was a wonderful grandma."

"We all miss her so much…" Mrs. Pelekai stated softly, and her husband held her hand tightly. "First it was Victoria and her husband dying because of that mistake at the hospital ten years ago, that really was a blow to her. I think it chipped away at her health a little each day, especially since her husband, he-"

"We all miss Lilo and Grandpa Jumba and Uncle Pleakley…they were the most wonderful people to us." Sandy said quietly, stirring his hot chocolate with a spoon. "I think Myrtle took it the hardest when she died, even harder than Lilo's husband did befor-"

Hearing that 626 was still around had worried him, since he KNEW Stitch would probably hurt him if he showed his face. But then his ears had perked up hearing what Sandy had just said. Myrtle, he knew that girl!

"Myrtle Edmonds is still alive?!" He asked quickly.

They looked at him, nodding. "Yes, she's old, but she's alive." Daviegh said. "She lives with her family in the house she grew up in, why?"

Rupert jumped away from the table. "Thank you for the meal, I-I have to go see her!" He said, rushing out the door.

This was it. The only possible link he had to the past. She was old, but there might be SOME recognition left in her. He HAD to see her, had to find SOMEBODY from the past he knew.

He tore down the driveway, making a quick left turn, then bolted down the sidewalk past the onlookers, not caring if they were staring. Most didn't, they'd seen weirder animals since the island was filled with the offspring of experiments, but what caught their attention (for those that DID look) was that he seemed to intently desperate on reaching some far off place…

And reach it he did. The paint job of yellow was fading, but the grass was freshly cut and there was the smell of breakfast fading in the air…they'd already finished. Rupert ran across the road, diving just out of reach to avoid being hit by a car, who's owner shouted a curse at him. He ran to the front door, panting and out of breath. Gathering his composure, he jumped up and knocked once, twice, thrice.

The door opened and revealed a boy of 9 years of age. He had hair that fell down around his head in thick locks, and wore very small glasses that were almost beatnik in style. He had on a plain green t-shirt and blue shorts with white sneakers and his blue eyes beamed out with genuine intelligence. Dr. Hamsterviel could see it, this child was smart.

"Who're you?" He asked. "Are you one of those experiments?" His voice sounded like that of a San Francisco resident.

"Is Myrtle Edmonds here?" Rupert asked. "I need to speak with her."

"Grandma?" The kid asked. "Hold on, hold on, ya weird thing…" he muttered. "MIRANDA! MARX! SOMEBODY'S HERE TO SEE GRANDMA MYRTLE!"

"Why can't you just call us "Mom" and "Dad" like everyone else?"

Two people walked up behind the kid. They had red and black hair respectively, with the husband having a small ponytail and the mother wearing glasses. The husband was wearing a red t-shirt that had the slogan "Works of the World Unite" in different languages. The mother smiled, and in just that flash of teeth and jingle of her earrings, she reminded the alien rodent of Myrtle's ditzy but well-meaning mother.

"And who is this?" She asked.

She even SOUNDED like Myrtle's ditzy mother.

"I'm Rupert." Rupert said. "I'd like to speak with your mother, Mrs. Edmonds." He asked politely. "You see I haven't been in Kokaua Town in years and she's the only one who might remember me."

The kid went "pff". "Look weirdo, I don't think-"

"Sure, come on in!" The kid's dad said. He seemed very agreeable. "Myrtle's upstairs in her room right now. She hasn't woken up for breakfast yet, but we were just about to go up there anyway. It'll be nice for her to see an old friend of hers, since she's…well…" He didn't go on. He didn't have to either. Rupert nodded, and walked inside.

"Ashton, be a dear and take Mr. Rupert up to see Myrtle while we get her breakfast ready." Mrs. Edmonds said.

Ashton mumbled out "fine, fine" and led Rupert up the stairs. "Your name is Ashton?" Rupert asked.

"Yes. My parents like the name. They thought of my grandma when they named me."

"I see…"

And now he could see Myrtle's room. She was getting out of bed and rubbed the back of her neck as she yawned. She still wore glasses, and her poofy red hair had turned totally white. She was wrinkled quite a bit, but her face didn't have that many for some reason. Most of all, her aura of composure had changed, she no longer seemed confident. The room in which she was in had pink walls, with many dolls all around, and several large, white-painted wooden chairs.

"I'll leave ya two lovebirds together." Ashton snickered, walking out.

Myrtle noticed Rupert and blinked.

"Do…do you remember me?" Rupert asked quietly.

Myrtle blinked a few times as she stared at him.

"…well?..." Rupert asked.

"…I don't think so…" She said.

Rupert immediately felt crushed inside. He had nobody now. No family. No friends. Nothing but the new acquaintances around him. What was he supposed to do?

"But to tell the truth, I'd like to have somebody to talk with who's not my family. I mean, my daughter and her husband are good people, but my baby can be a little ditzy…heh…she's…she's so much like my own mother…" Myrtle admitted sadly.

Rupert hopped over into a nearby chair. "Sure, I will listen. I've got plenty of time. But don't you wish to go and eat some breakfast first?"

Myrtle did the "oh please" gesture with her hand, smiling. "It can wait. I'm not even hungry." Understanding, the alien folded his hands in his lap and listened as Myrtle began to speak. "First of all, my grandson is so…so angry. He's embraced the whole "rage against the man" lifestyle…I mean really, he needs to chill out. With that mean attitude he has towards authority and the fights he gets into with his teachers sometimes…no wonder he hasn't got any friends…"

She sighed and twirled one lock of her white hair. "Well, I'm not worried about dying. I'll get to see them all again. I can barely believe it you know…" She laughed, almost harshly. "Back when I was a snot-nosed little brat, I used to pick on Lilo and Victoria all the time…hard to believe they became such close friends. For a while Yuki, Elena and Theresa and I just drifted apart, people do that, they drift apart when interests change…I just went one way, they all went their own.

So during college, Victoria and Lilo and I were roommates. And I was overjoyed that they allowed me to keep Gigi. Oh, us four girls would stay up all night talking and laughing about our boyfriends…and we'd ace almost every test that came our way because I was an expert with economics and math, Victoria was an expert with English and Literary Arts, and Lilo was so creative and imaginative…her projects won awards. We all graduated top of the class…

And that's when I met up with the girls again. They'd done well in school too. We all found jobs around town and all of us would hang out every weekend and during the weekday and gee, it…it was just like we were little kids again. And my mom would whip up her special spaghetti on Valentine's Day, I remember that well. And that blue ball of fur and his girlfriend, I remember, they found they were each on the same string of spaghetti and it ended with them kissing each other, oh that was so sweet!

But time passed, and then before you knew it, Lilo's husband was gone…and by the time he got back, Victoria and Keoni had died, it was awful, just…"

Myrtle couldn't go on. Rupert nodded his head. "I understand, Myrtle." He said quietly. "Hey…how about I tell you a little about my own family?"

Myrtle smiled. "I think I'd like that."

Rupert cleared his throat. "Well, first of all…my family's always had their hands in dealings with criminals. My grandma and grandpa won control of a large company by getting rid of the previous owners, and my own mother and father were in charge of the black market on our planet."

He sighed. "But that's only because…well, that's because they were ruthless. They killed off all the competition, but they had to because my people aren't exactly well-liked…"

"So you're NOT an experiment." Myrtle said.

"No, no." Rupert said, shaking his head. "You see, my people are natural prey to most of the galaxy's predators. Our cities are raided all of the time by bands of space-roaming bandits who consider us quite…tasty…" He shivered. "So my mother and father were determined to put a stop to this and to install fear in those near our planet to make sure that people wouldn't try and invade. My grandparents and my parents used their resources and eliminated countless people who had come to the planet hoping to hunt my kind down, and then to prove a point they'd go send assassins to the hunter's worlds to kill their families…

My parents were feared, all right. My mom had even tore somebody's throat out with her teeth when he tried to…to rape her by pulling her into an alley. And Dad, he…he scared me. He and Mom were quite beautiful as far as our species go, their fur was lush and thick and golden, but me, I was born an albino…a freak. So, well, I was always picked on at school. Luckily my uncle was an albino too, and he was a revolutionary on a colony some distance away from our planet, and I was his favorite nephew. He was brave, he was funny and he was dedicated…he tried to establish the colony as a democratic state, but…well, my parents didn't support him when they should have, and he was captured by the Galactic Federation for stirring up trouble.

They tried to get him to recant his beliefs. They tried three times and used torture but he wouldn't give in…heh…" Rupert laughed sadly. "Then they cut his head off…"

He covered his face. "I couldn't stand it. I got the news during my 8th grade graduation, it…it really killed the party mood…

My best friend Jumba Jookiba, he tried to talk with me, so did my brother, and my brother was always afraid of opening up. He had to keep a diary in order to get out his inner feelings, but despite them trying, I was just…I just couldn't get over it for the longest time. I mean…he was…he was just always laughing and smiling with me, and he'd hug me so hard I thought sometime's he'd crush my back with those big white arms of his…

I forgot to tell you, I met Jumba…me and my brother both did, on our first day of school. He and I were in the same classes, and we soon became fast friends and lab partners in science class. My brother thought Jumba was pretty good, but he was really always more of a friend-by-association for a long, long time, until we got to college level classes. We got accepted into Evil Genius University…I applied along with Jumba and my brother because EVERYONE in my family had gone there and they wanted me to go as well. I mean, I was very creative, but Jumba and my brother, they were better at being "evil" than I was. I was good at pranks and stuff, but being really EVIL, that wasn't me…"

"Wait…you knew Jumba? But…you're not very old at all!" Myrtle exclaimed.

"I know, I…I was shoved into an escape pod that froze over, my…my body was frozen solid and didn't age. It was a trap I fell into. I ended up landing here in Hawaii, I'm…I'm glad I did too." He said, smiling at Myrtle nervously. "Now where was I? Oh, yes, being evil wasn't my thing, and I was rather nervous about entering college…

Still, I didn't mind that much, because I got to be with Jumba and my brother. We were all roommates all through college…and we even got into E.G.O, the Evil Genius Organization. Jumba and my brother and I got accepted because we had proposed several ideas for illegal genetic experiments that would double as weapons of mass irritation. It was all theoretical work, mind you, but then after graduation we opened up a prank and joke shop, and soon after I had the idea that maybe we could try and MAKE one of the genetic experiments, you know…as a pet. It worked! And we realized we were on the verge of something. So as successful doctors, we decided this would be our crowning achievement. I began making up designs for the experiments, Jumba did the legwork and calculations and my brother got the equipment and funded all of our stuff with his deals…"

"MOTHER! Come on down! Your breakfast is getting cold!"

Myrtle smiled. "I really liked hearing your story. Do you think you could come back tomorrow?"

Rupert smiled. "I've got plenty of time." He said, hopping out of the chair. "I'd love to see you again tomorrow, Myrtle."

**Author's note:**

**Okay, some of you might be wondering...if Rupert, Jacques and Jumba are all doctors, what kind of doctors are they? Well Jumba is obviously a doctor of science, however he, Jacques and Rupert are also doctors of "mad science". Yes, there is a doctorate for it at E.G.U. But naturally, this also includes training in other fields, such as neurology, chemistry, and most of all, genetics. So simply put, they're all doctors of different sciences. Hope that clears things up a little. Also, you'll see more examples of their scientific skill described later, I promise.**

**And now for another sneak preview!**

_Rupert's eyes misted over. "Being able to hold something you created, something you gave life to, to hold them in your hands and tell them their name…I just…they had the most wonderful smiles." He began crying. "I'm-I'm just…" He wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry, I…I really miss them sometimes…"_

_..._

_Rupert was still nervous being around Myrtle. He had so wanted her to remember him, yet a part of him was glad…after all, what could he say? "Hi, remember me? I'm the guy that turned you into a robot, got you kidnapped twice and almost got you killed!" _

_..._

_He strummed it a little, then looked up at Myrtle and Rupert. Rupert could see genuine interest in his eyes. "Hello there." He said. His voice seemed slightly low, but it was filled with good-naturedness and a happy undertone. "Have any requests? Milady?"_


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Rupert von Hamsterviel woke up with a huge smile on his face. He hopped out of bed early, and was already downstairs in the kitchen before anybody else at the Pelekai household.

The others all woke up to the smell of beautifully seasoned eggs, bacon and salad. Sitting down at the table, Rupert sprinkled the salad around each of their eggs and bacon in a perfect circle, humming "Lukey's Boat" as he did so. He finally plopped down in his own seat and began chewing on a carrot. "Enjoy!" He mumbled out. "Don't be afraid to try it."

They did try it, with Daveigh being the first one to try the salad. "Mmm-MMM! This is so zesty!"

"Thanks. It's my own home-made recipe I got from my aunt." Hamsterviel "She and my uncle were the only two authority figures I ever really looked up to."

"Really? What did they do?' Sandy asked in between mouthfuls. Like Stitch, he'd just scarfed down everything in one sitting.

"Uncle Charles was a colonist statesmen-turned-revolutionary, Aunt Olympe was a journalist and a cook." Rupert said. "She, uh…she was a wonderful woman. She used to…used to send me cookies…"

He didn't go on. They could figure out why. Once breakfast was finished, Rupert said "I'm going back to visit Mrs. Edmonds today. She and I really like talking together…and I want to hear more about what happened with her and the others…"

And so, after another trip to her house, once again Ashton answered the door. "Oh, it's you again." He groaned. "Man, don'tja got nothin' better to do, man? Oh wait…" He sighed. "Forgot…Grandma told us you'd be back today, she really likes talking with you, alright. You're not overly exciting her, are you? I mean, she and I are like THIS." He said, putting his two pointer fingers together.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't want her getting a heart attack." Rupert said.

Myrtle was ready and waiting for him up in her room, sitting in the bed, hands folded in her lap. "Do you want to finish up where you were at before, Sir Rupert?" She asked.

Rupert blushed. "Sir?" Gee, I…nobody's ever called me "Sir Rupert"…I sound like a knight, I…I kinda like it…"

"I knew you would!" Myrtle said happily. "So tell me, you and your brother and your friend Jumba…you got to work on making experiments?"

"Yes, and we had to get permission from a judge first though, to make them. We claimed they were pets, and at first, they kinda were! We named them and everything. It took us 5 whole years to make them, but we did it! Oh, it's just…"

Rupert's eyes misted over. "Being able to hold something you created, something you gave life to, to hold them in your hands and tell them their name…I just…they had the most wonderful smiles." He began crying. "I'm-I'm just…" He wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry, I…I really miss them sometimes…"

Myrtle smiled sympathetically. "Oh, I know what you mean, I…I really miss my husband, Lev. He was the most kindest man I ever knew. I met him back in college and we got married 30 years ago. He…he died 8 years ago though…8 years and five days, I…I count…

You know, that gets me thinking. Lilo and her boyfriend were meant to be together, he was always a cute man, but he was so understanding and sympathetic and gentle. And Victoria, her and her husband were just amazing, and their wedding was just WONDERFUL. She looked so beautiful in her white dress, and when she tossed the flowers it landed right in my hands, and my future husband hugged me right on the spot! Ooh, I could have died right then and I would have been happy.

I remember, that alien…oh yes, Pleakley! He did all the decorations! He was just AMAZING when it came to interior design. He was such a fashion and pop culture expert, he'd been at it for years, you know. I remember he loved wearing a blond wig and a black jacket, he was like "Bi Guy for the Straight Guy". And Jumba was overjoyed to have so many of his creations around and to help them with their own children. He left his old laboratory to Lilo when he died, I remember that. They still have the spaceship laboratory, it's parked where it always used to be, near the house…"

"Yes, I saw." Rupert agreed.

Myrtle sighed then. "You know, when Victoria and her husband died in the hospital, I was shocked. I mean, they were so filled with life, and they were going in just to get their gallstones removed, but somehow the doctors screwed up the operation, I was just…unable to believe it. Lilo was crushed, and Victoria's pets Tag and Snooty were devastated. Tag even tried to kill himself, he bought a gun and everything, but Lilo stopped him. They worked through it together, realizing that Victoria would have wanted them to keep living. She loved them. They were _ohana_. And speaking of _ohana_, I…I truly miss Gigi. She…she was just amazing. Her children never comes around, I think they feels frightened of Ashton. It really is a shame, her baby granddaughter is so cute...she has Gigi's smile, too…

You know, no matter how bad Lilo felt, she always had me and Stitch. And then eventually, Stitch began to break down a couple weeks after Jumba died, he started speaking less and less, not even to his three children that he had with Angel. I'm not completely sure why, perhaps he just…he felt so crippled inside…because people feel like that. I felt like that myself when I learned that my father was in a coma. I had always thought he'd run away, but when I finally found out that he was in a coma in San Francisco, my mother and I packed up our bags and we headed right over there! I was…27, I remember. Now mom and dad were both getting old, but still…

Dad finally woke up. He had some serious help, but he woke up all the same. And when he saw how much I'd grown up, he…he was just so happy…"

Myrtle beamed. "He and Mom moved back together. I was so glad to have my family together again. Even though he only was around for 5 more years, and my mom for 6, I was still so happy…those were some of the greatest times of my life. Family just means so much. I'm sorry that Jumba's not still around, you seemed to really care about him."

Rupert nodded, fiddling with his hands. "Jumba really cared about his family, he didn't have a good relationship with…well, with his father for starters, or his wife. His father wanted Jumba to go into a "decent" business and become a lawyer, but Jumba wanted to be a doctor, so they cut him off during the second-to-last year of college. He wasn't hurt financially, he was able to make plenty of money doing computer repairs, selling inventions, etc, etc. But inside he was devastated, he cried one night. Jacques and I-oh, I forgot to tell you, Jacques is my brother…was my brother, I mean. Anyhow, Jumba was crying in our room, looking over a photo album. We stayed up with him all night looking over the photos of him and his childhood home and family just to cheer him up. We skipped class the next day too, just so we could spend the day resting at the park…

Anyhow, once we were in E.G.O, opportunities for money kept appearing for Jacques. He got into shady business deals with Rahry, Rahry Ackmenn, he was a total sleazeball who knew the black market of every planet up and down. He and Rahry did a lot of back-alley business and in exchange, Jumba got all the tools and money he needed to keep making more experiments. But I knew Rahry was a bad seed. He…he had cut out the eye of a cat, I'd heard, as part of initiation for a fraternity. He was proud of that…and he also once caused a kid to die…"

Rupert gulped. "There was this kid, he did magic tricks for everyone in college. He got on Rahry's nerves…Rahry drowned him in the toilet when he bet the kid couldn't turn a white rose red before their eyes without blood…but he did it…and Rahry lost it and just dragged him into the bathroom and drowned him in the toilet before anyone could stop him! I was amazed he wasn't kicked out of college…I think he blackmailed the dean into letting him stay. There are other things I've heard of him doing, but…I don't like thinking about them. I tried to warn Jacques, "he's a gangster, he's scum, he won't let you really WIN, he'll backstab you" but Jacques just smiled and told me he'd be alright…

Now he was a member of E.G.O as well…but Jumba HATED him. He tried to ruin him at every turn. You see though, he barely got into E.G.O…and he shouldn't have at all. He should have died, I thought he HAD…you see, he tried to switch his brain with that of a super-powered alien he'd captured, a feat nobody had ever accomplished before. Everyone in E.G.O had gathered to see him. But Jacques had intended to get back at Rahry because Rahry was always belittling him and insulting me and Jumba. He'd even kicked me once. Jacques turned to me and smiled that smile of his and told me not to worry, but when Rahry's experiment failed, stuff…stuff began to pour out of his ears, and it looked like soup, but it wasn't soup, it wasn't…and then Jacques…"

Rupert covered his face. "He had a heart attack. He'd meant to shock Rahry, but he hadn't meant to KILL him! And…he just…he couldn't take the stress, he…he died. I shook him over and over and begged him not to go, but he couldn't even hear me. I…I just…I couldn't take it…"

Rupert began crying. Myrtle walked over slowly and picked him up, then carried him over to her bed. She rocked him back and forth as he cried into her breasts. They smelled of flowers. "It's alright, it's alright." She said softly.

"I miss him so muuuch…" Rupert sobbed. "He may have been kinda mean to everyone and he may have wanted to take over the galaxy, but he still loved me and he promised me that when he was the greatest leader in the galaxy, we'd all be the best of the best, with him the best leader, Jumba the best scientist, and me the best musician…he always loved me playing the violin and the fiddle and the harmonica, and I just…just…" He burst out into crying again.

Ashton was listening outside of the room. He lowered his head down so that his hair was covering his eyes. He sighed and walked down the steps, saying nothing.

"It's alright…" Myrtle said comfortingly. "It's alright…"

It took a long time for Rupert to get out all the tears. But he did. When it was over, he asked Myrtle a question.

"I thought I was him...my mind, it just could NOT deal with it, I took on his persona, I did so many things, I can never-never-ever be forgiven for! How are you supposed to deal with it?" He asked. "I lost all my family and everyone I ever cared about, I almost got my best friend and all of his creations killed, I lied and manipulated and stole! How…how do you not wake up every morning wanting to cry?"

"Because my family's still around me." Myrtle said. "And they always will be with me."

She put her hand on her heart. Rupert did the same. "In my heart?" He asked.

"In your heart. Now hows about we go to the park and feed the ducks today?" She asked.

Rupert smiled. "I…I think I would like that a lot."

Yet even after Myrtle had eaten her breakfast and they had walked out the door to head to the park, Rupert was still nervous being around Myrtle. He had so wanted her to remember him, yet a part of him was glad…after all, what could he say? "Hi, remember me? I'm the guy that turned you into a robot, got you kidnapped twice and almost got you killed!" What was he supposed to say to her? He couldn't tell anyone, ANYONE, not even her, what his real name was. He wanted to though…he'd wanted to back then, but hearing her say "no"…it had dispelled any hopes he'd had that maybe somebody…

Somebody he'd seen a kindred spirit in…somebody still remembered him.

But maybe this was a good thing, he thought as Myrtle led him to a park bench. The grass blew back and forth as the palm trees swayed in the breeze. A couple of birds flew through the air, and Rupert noticed a large dandelion by the park bench, growing up quite high. He knelt down, getting on his stomach, and sniffed it. He enjoyed the smell of dandelions quite a bit.

"It's always so beautiful at this time of day." Myrtle said. It had just turned 9 o'clock, and the blue sky contrasted quite nicely with the lush green of the park. "Ever since Hawaii became a protected wilderness preserve…"

"What?" Rupert asked, jolting up in surprise.

"Oh, what with all of the experiments around here, it was bound to happen. It began with Australia and New Zealand, when the government decided to take great steps in preserving the environment and making it prosper. So now hunting's forbidden in those places, unless it's catch and release. And Anzac and the Lord of the Dreamtime enforce those laws quite well, too! Oh, those two are in charge of the two countries, ruling together over the two nations since Leroy first invaded. All of us are grateful for the great care they showed for the lands they're ruling over, just as Stitch-"

"Wait, so there are entire countries that are now protected wilderness reserves? When did THAT happen?" Rupert asked, sitting back up and next to Myrtle.

"Well, it was during my college years. We were all overjoyed with the decision that the president had made to follow the Kyoto Protocol, and he went and hired the brightest minds the Earth had to offer to solve the problem of global warming."

"What happened?"

"Well, Jumba ended up in "Camelot" working for the president, and he suggested that cars should stop running on oil completely. So he worked for ten weeks on developing a new source of energy…"

"What did he use in the end?"

Myrtle grinned. "Potatoes."

"POTATOES?" Rupert asked.

"I kid you not, Rupert. Potatoes and food grease."

Rupert began laughing. "That is SO…ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I should have known he'd do something like that! Let me guess…now cars all smell awful?"

"Yes, so people just use them less and less. Now everyone basically uses mass transportation or teleporting stations."

"You finally developed teleportation technology?" Rupert asked. "Jumba again?"

"No, actually a Dr. Chansey discovered the key, she was a BRILLIANT woman. She also created working jetpacks. I can't use mine anymore though, it puts too much stress on my back."

Rupert smiled. "You're something special, Myrtle Edmonds."

"I had help." She admitted. "You know, with age you mellow out a lot. They also say you lose your mind. But you don't miss it that much, ha-ha-ha!"

They both laughed at this, then stood up and walked to the nearby pond. Myrtle had brought a bag of bread and she and Rupert tossed pieces in for the ducks to gobble up. They were completely silent as they did so, theyr motions as fluid as those seeding the soil for future crops.

Then Rupert saw something interesting. An experiment walked into the park to sit where they'd been sitting. He was about 4 feet tall and had grey fur, with a lighter shade of grey/silver running down from his mouth to end with his slightly-plump stomach. He had strong-looking arms and he was wearing a mood ring upon his left hand, with a watch upon his right. Most noticeable of all were the mood necklace upon his neck, circular and shining blue…and the pants. They were tie-dyed, a rainbow swirling around and around, held up by a belt with a large metal clasp at the center. He had mostly black eyes, but there was a greenish tint to the bottom. His nose was small and shaped like a gumdrop, and he had brown hair that slightly curly, slightly wavy, and brushed back, though thick locks fell down from the back of his head. The guitar in his hands was simple and wooden, and it looked rather antique.

He strummed it a little, then looked up at Myrtle and Rupert. Rupert could see genuine interest in his eyes. "Hello there." He said. His voice seemed slightly low, but it was filled with good-naturedness and a happy undertone. "Have any requests? Milady?"

Myrtle blushed. "Oh, it's been a long time since a man called me that! To have somebody look at me with that special smile and look in his eyes…"

"Like this?" The experiment asked, putting the guitar down, resting his head upon one fist and staring right into her eyes with a slightly dazed smile, as if caught in her eyes. She quivered and seemed to melt like a little girl blushing as a boy gives her her very first Valentine's Day card.

"Yes, just like that." She said softly. "Do you…do you know any Colin Hay songs?"

"Colin Hay? He's a favorite of mine! Here, sit on down!" The experiment said. Rupert and Myrtle sat down on the grass, backs facing the pond as the experiment brought the guitar back up again. "I'll be happy to play you a tune of his!"

He began to strum on the guitar, closing his eyes slightly as he sang passionately, voice filled with emotion that seemed to drift out across the park and permeate the very thoughts of those listening at the moment.

_Any minute now…my ship is cooooming in!  
I'll keep checking the horiii-iiiizoooon…  
I'll stand on the bow! And feel the waves come crashing…  
Come crashing down…down…down…on meee-eee…_

_And you say, "be still my love,  
Open up your heart…  
Let the light shine in!"  
Don't you understand?  
I already have a plan…  
I'm waiting for my real life to begin!_

_When I awoke today, suddenly…nothing happened  
But in my dreee-eee-eeaams, I slew the dragon!  
And down this beaten paaa-aaaath, up this cobbled lane!  
I'm walking in my ooooold foooo-oootsteps, once agaaaaiiin…_

_And you say, "just be here now,  
Forget about the past, your mask is wearing thin"!  
Just let me throw one more dice,  
I know that I can win…  
I'm waiting for my real life to begin!_

The experiment finished the song. Myrtle clapped as enthusiastically as she could. "Oh, thank you, THANK you!" She said. "I just love that song! I always think of it as the song I could die by!"

"Why think of death?" The experiment asked, confused.

"It's just moving on…it's not really death." Myrtle said. "At least, to me."

Rupert held Myrtle's hand tightly, and nodded happily at the experiment. He liked this one. "Thank you." He said. "It was…it was very good." He admitted. "But…um…what is your name?"

The experiment let loose a grin and jumped off the bench, picking up the guitar. "It's Grey." He said, walking off. "Take good care of yourself, okay? And of your lady!"

Now RUPERT was the one blushing.

**Author's note: I named Rahry after one of the most disgustingly cruel and evil human beings I have ever read about in a novel. Bonus points for whoever figures out where he's from. Also, you might notice that the experiment introduced is wearing CLOTHES...well this is more common than you'd think around town, as you'll find out soon enough. **

**Also, some might ask "Well how could Rupert get away with passing as his brother"? Simple. They're twins. Their names are Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel and Jacques Rupert von Hamsterviel. And both are geniuses (though not as smart as Jumba). So being able to take over your brother's life in a situation like that is actually quite easy.**

**I've been depressed lately because I was banned from a forum for "borderline trolling" and for putting up a picture of a c--k joke from It was stupid, I shouldn't have done it, but MAN, I miss being able to express myself the way I used to on that forum. For those of you who want to check it out for yourself, keep in mind a lot of them have a pretty...um, well, you'll need to see it to understand it. The site is s4.invisionfree. com / CaptainSNES. You'll have to remove the spaces, naturally. **

**And now for another sneak preview!**

__

"You know, you remind me of somebody…" Mrs. Pelekai said, her eyes squinting. "Somebody Jumba told us about…somebody Lilo told us about too, and her husband."

"Who?" Rupert asked.

"It was this alien…" She said. "This alien gerbil..."

Rupert resisted every single screaming urge within him to shout "HAMSTER" at this idiot.

...

_Ashton answered the door…_

_He wasn't crying. But his voice cracked. "Myrtle is...Myrtle's sick." He squeaked out. "I'm…I'm glad you came, she…she wanted to see you…_

_..._

_"Myrtle, I have to tell them, have to tell YOU, I can't keep it in any longer!" He begged. He turned to face the parents. "Mrs. Edmonds, Mr. Edmonds, Ashton, my full name…" He took a deep breath._


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

The next morning, Rupert finally popped the question to Daveigh and her family.

"J-Jumba's funeral…was it…was it to his satisfaction?"

"He had all of his family and friends there." Daveigh said.

"Yeah…" Sandy told Rupert, fiddling with his spoon. "They all spoke. Pleakley was just devastated when he got up to the podium. But Jumba looked very…very refined in his casket…"

"He was really happy getting all his emotions out. We were a little worried, but when he spoke, we didn't mind what he said…" Mrs. Pelekai said.

"It was understandable anyhow…" Mr. Pelekai agreed.

"We think he died of a broken heart, you know…" Sandy said quietly. "Pleakley just…he couldn't live long after Jumba, we all knew that deep down…"

"Lilo was just amazing as she got up and spoke. She said that Jumba was the most wonderful, sweetest uncle anybody could ask for, and that he lived his life devoted to his family. She said that he was going to shine even more brilliantly in the afterlife than he'd ever been here, and that he would want everyone to live their lives continuing to search for the truth, like he had. And she said that he'd discovered the greatest truth early, and she was grateful for that every day of her life…"

"What was it?" Rupert asked quietly.

"That family is forever. The meaning of _ohana_."

Rupert blinked a few times. That was beautiful…

"You know, you remind me of somebody…" Mrs. Pelekai said, her eyes squinting. "Somebody Jumba told us about…somebody Lilo told us about too, and her husband."

"Who?" Rupert asked.

"It was this alien…" She said. "This alien gerbil..."

Rupert resisted every single screaming urge within him to shout "HAMSTER" at this idiot.

"He used to be Jumba's partner, they went to college and everything…but he supposedly died in outer space quite a long time ago." She stated. "Jenkins would know more about it, his father was the one who…"

"Where does Jenkins live?" Rupert asked.

As it turns out, Jenkins lived across from the lush and luxurious park that they'd visited just the other day. He was skating outside, a headband across his head, laughing as he tore up the sidewalk. Although it had been a long walk, Rupert had to know…

"Jay." Rupert spoke as he stepped into sight.

Jay stopped and did a 360 in the air, coming to a stop after he landed. He got off the skateboard. "Yeah, newbie?" He asked.

"Do you know who Jumba's old partner was?"

Jay rubbed his chin. "My pops Leroy told me all about him…said his name was "Hamsterviel"…he'd gotten Dad stuck in jail, so Dad thought up revenge and managed to get him ejected from the prison they were in. He froze to death in space. Yeah, he used to be Jumba's old partner, but he ended up betraying him because he was seriously messed up in the head…he shoulda seen a shrink!"

Rupert immediately felt his cheeks become red. He tried to think of other thoughts: Ice cream cones, boulders shaped like people's faces, shooting stars, the violin…

That did it! He relaxed again. "Jay" hadn't stopped talking though. "…and anyhow, I don't think Leroy felt bad about getting rid of him, although Ms. Lilo was horrified. She said that he hadn't deserved that. And Jumba, well, Jumba never wanted anything to do with my pops after that. He shut himself up in his lab for three weeks. But it wasn't that big of a deal to everyone else…we didn't really understand why he was so upset. The jerk had ratted Jumba out, had almost gotten all of his experiments killed…although dad was to blame, more so than old "Hammy"…"

Rupert had crossed his arms. He was feeling hot. Very hot.

"Anyhow, he was just a megalomaniacal villain. I don't know why Jumba cared."

"Well, he WAS his old partner, his college roommate, his childhood friend. No matter what a friend from that far back does, you still always have those memories, and you still have those feelings buried deep within you."

Jay blinked. "That's pretty deep." He said, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, are you, like…a relative of Jumba's old partner?"

"No." Rupert answered honestly. He WAS the old partner.

"But you definitely look like the same kind of alien…ah, whatever! Hope I answered your questions. Now I gotta go back to trying to perform a Super McVarial 900!"

Rupert left him to his skateboarding tricks. He sighed. So he'd been pretty much hated by everyone but the girl, who had pitied him, and Jumba…

"What kind of life is left for me?" He thought out loud as he approached Myrtle's door and knocked again.

…

…

…

…Rupert had been worried, true. What sort of life could he have?

As it turns out, it was not a bad life at all. Myrtle's stories were wonderful. He and she would switch them time and time again as they went to the park to feed the ducks, visited the library to read books, and of course, simply sit around Myrtle's house, with Rupert eating celery dipped in peanut butter, with Myrtle finishing off the remaining peanut butter in the jars, licking the peanut butter off her wrinkled lips and smiling with the smooth remnants lingering on her false teeth.

Then one day it happened. When Rupert approached Myrtle's house, he could hear from inside…hushed murmurs, whisperings, crying. He ran to the door and knocked quickly.

Ashton answered the door…

He wasn't crying. But his voice cracked. "Myrtle is...Myrtle's sick." He squeaked out. "I'm…I'm glad you came, she…she wanted to see you…"

Ashton led Rupert up to Myrtle's room. Her daughter and her husband were there, right to her right, as she lay in bed. Ashton nervously bit his lip before speaking. "He's here, Myrtle."

_Any minute now…my ship is coming in!_

"Rupert?" Myrtle asked. Her voice had never sounded so creaky before. Rupert slowly got out from behind Ashton. "Oh, there you are…come on, don't be shy." She said. "Ashton, go get Rupert a chair, please." She asked politely.

_I'll keep checking the horiiii-iiiizooon…_

"S-Sure thing, Grandma Myrtle…" Ashton said, running out. He came right back with a chair, putting it up to the bed. Rupert climbed up onto it and faced Myrtle.

_It's gonna happen soon…soon…oh so very soon …  
_

"Myrtle…how…how sick are you?" He asked. "How long-"

_It's just that tiiiimes are lean!_

"It's been for a week now." She said. "But I'm ready." She said. "I've lived a full life. And I'm glad you're here now."

_And I'll check my machine! There's sure to be that caaa-aaall!_

Rupert bit his lip. His tail swished back and forth nervously. "Myrtle, I have to tell them, have to tell YOU, I can't keep it in any longer!" He begged. He turned to face the parents. "Mrs. Edmonds, Mr. Edmonds, Ashton, my full name…" He took a deep breath. "My full name is Rupert Jacques von-"

"Milford…" Myrtle whispered out.

_And you say, "be still my love,  
Open up your heart…  
Let the light shine in!"_

Rupert's head whipped over to her face. His eyes went wide. "My-Myrtle, you…you?..."

She smiled at him. "I never forget a face." She said. "I knew you wanted to tell me…you were just afraid…"

_Don't you understand?  
Oh, IIIIIII already have a plan…_

Rupert realized he was allowing tears to drip down from his face.

"You…you really changed quite a bit…and yet you haven't….but it's alright." She said. "I don't mind how, I'm just glad you came…"

_I'm waiting for my real life to begin!_

Rupert held his hands together. "P-Please Myrtle don't die…you're the only link I have left, I don't know what I would do if you…if you…"

Myrtle shook her head. "It's time, Rupert. You have to let go."

"But…but…you're the only…" He found himself almost unable to get it out. "You're really the only family I have left…" he said, covering his eyes with one arm.

Myrtle laughed softly. "Rupert…Marx here happens to be a lawyer, and he is in charge of my will. So dear…this is an addendum to it, completely official." She told her daughter's husband. "Write it up that you are to take care of Rupert and accept him into your family, into your _ohana_ just as I did with dear Gigi."

_Heeeey, eeey-eeeeyyy…heeeey, heeeeeee…_

Marx nodded sadly. "I'll…I'll write up the documents." He said.

Mrs. Edmonds embraced her mother and began sobbing. Ashton was across from Myrtle's bed at the moment, up against the wall, pants dug into his pockets.

_Heeeey, eeey-eeeeyyy…eeeee-eeee! Eeee-eeee! Eeee-eeee!_

_Eeee-eeee! Eeee-eeee-yeaaah!_

Myrtle turned to Rupert. "I'll miss you Rupert. Take…take good care of yourself now?" She said.

"I'm scared…" Rupert squeaked out.

"I'm here." Myrtle whispered to him, beaming softly at him. The light poured in through the window to bathe her in a golden glow. Rupert leaned in closer to her.

_On a clear day…I can seeee…see a very long way!_

Myrtle's eyes slowly began to close, drooping down…down. She slowly began to stop breathing.

_On a clear day…I can seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…_

Rupert gently moved his paw onto her hand, and held it there, unmoving as her eyelids finally closed.

_See a very long waaay-aaaay-aaaaay-aaaayyyyy…_

**Author's Note:  
I think this is one of the most heart-breaking scenes I have ever written. I actually cried a little as I thought this moment up and wrote it down. And the music just works perfectly for the scene. **

**I dedicate this chapter to Miranda Paige Walls and Liliana Mumy, who voiced Myrtle in both the original movie and the series and movies afterwards respectively. Here's to you. **

**Here's a quick chapter preview:**

_"I come out here too."_

_He turned his head and noticed that familiar grey-furred experiment who had sung for him and Myrtle. He approached from behind a tree, his grey fur giving off the appearance that he was melting out from the shadows in a sense._

_"I think a lot about the past here." He said, sitting down next to Rupert._

...

_Rupert blinked his red eyes slowly as his arms fell away from his sides. How had he not seen it before?_

_"I'd better get there first…" Rupert said._


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Hamsterviel had been unable to sleep that night at Daveigh and Sandy's house. He'd been looking out the window, staring off into the night as the stars twinkled. Finally he'd hopped out of the window and to the nearby palm tree, sliding down it to go for a walk.

He found himself back at the park, sitting down on the park bench he'd been at with Myrtle so often. He didn't even have the heart to look up and allowed silent, tearless sobs to shake him.

He missed her. He missed that wonderful woman. Missed everything he'd had.

"I come out here too."

He turned his head and noticed that familiar grey-furred experiment who had sung for him and Myrtle. He approached from behind a tree, his grey fur giving off the appearance that he was melting out from the shadows in a sense.

"I think a lot about the past here." He said, sitting down next to Rupert. "I…I lost my girl. I lost my friends. Worst of all, Stitch is…Stitch is very, very dear to me, and he's…he's not been himself for a long time."

Rupert nodded. "I have heard…"

The experiment wiped his eyes. "Sorry, I just…" He'd been crying. "I really miss it when he and Lilo and I used to belong together. But even though things can't be the same, they can still be good." He told Rupert. "That's what I learned. And I heard that you've been adopted into Ashton's family."

Hamsterviel nodded. "Yes…"

"He reminds me of how Myrtle used to be." Grey said. "So try and be patient with him."

He looked down at his watch. "Well…I'm heading back." He patted Rupert on the back. "Take care, alright?" He said gently, walking off and slowly vanishing into the trees.

The alien hamster walked over to the pond and picked up a small rock that was smooth and round. He could barely feel it in his paw. As the wind slowly ruffled his fur, he held the rock behind him and then flung it. It skipped clear across the pond…and then sank. He sighed, then walked off, heading back for Daveigh's house.

THE NEXT DAY…

"Well…I'll do what I can to see you around." Rupert said, shaking Daveigh and Sandy's hand before he walked down the steps to the driveway that would lead him back to town. "I'm meeting with Mr. Edmonds to sign the documents stating my consent for adoption."

"Take care, Rupert. We hope we'll get to see you around too. Hopefully we'll see Ashton at school tomorrow."

"Hopefully. He sometimes skips." Sandy admitted, adjusting his sunglasses.

Rupert smiled. "Take care yourself." He said before heading out.

Soon he was back at Myrtle's house, signing the papers. Marx nodded as Rupert put down his signature, then deposited them into his suitcase. "It's all settled." He told Rupert. "Now then, to be honest, I am aware you are a doctor from what Myrtle told us…what kind of doctor?"

"Well, I have a doctorate in science, chemistry, psychology too…"

"Well to be truthful, we have been…concerned…about Ashton." Miranda stated, walking into the kitchen. Ashton himself was still fast asleep upstairs.

Rupert raised an eyebrow. "What are you concerned about?" He asked, intrigued.

"He…he doesn't get along with his classmates, and they pick on him. And, he-he won't call us Mom or Dad, and he doesn't open up at all to us about what happens at school. The only reason we know what happens at school is because Jude is kind enough to tell us…he pities Ashton. As a psychologist, you might be able to…well, help him somehow…if you can?" She pleaded.

The alien hamster rubbed his chin. Then he nodded. "I'll do what I can." He said. "But I'll need to follow him around and see what sort of thing he endures on a daily basis if I'm going to make a judgment, since I have the feeling he doesn't like me…"

"Then it's settled." Marx Edmonds stated. "We trust you to look out for our son."

Ashton woke up. "Something terrible has just happened…" He mumbled to himself. "I can FEEL it."

Ashton went down to the breakfast table and ate his Lucky Charms in silence, despite his parent's attempts to ask what he was going to do for the day. He finally managed to get out that he still had two days of vacation left until school started up, ask him THEN.

His mother sighed. "Honey, you used that excuse just two weeks ago, saying that nothing new was happening in school and that we should wait until vacation had come for interesting things to happen to you…now can't you contribute a little bit more to the conversation?"

"…no." Ashton said, getting out of his seat and leaving the room, adjusting his beatnik glasses. His mother groaned.

Now, an alien rodent who had snuck out of prison, his school's grounds and a gym filled with hungry leonoid aliens, Rupert had some pride in his ability to hide himself and sneak around undetected. After all, he'd evaded 626 himself!

So as Ashton left the house, Rupert knew how to get around. Sneaking behind and around him on the grass so as to make no noise, he crept from tree to tree, diving behind bushes whenever Ashton turned around to look…always failing to see the sight of an alien rabbit sneaking after him. Finally Rupert noticed Ashton was reaching an arcade at the center of the town, near a movie theater.

Ashton immediately emptied 10 quarters into a shooting video game that had the title "Time Crisis 7". He picked up both guns from their holsters and began blasting away at the screen. Rupert was impressed…the kid had talent. He shot too frequently and wasted ammo, and but he had enough passion in him to bring down any foe that popped up on the screen.

Rupert realized that the kid's health was lowering bit by bit each time a foe on the screen "shot" him. Finally he ran out of health and lives. Ashton mumbled a nasty Tantalog swear that got Rupert's eyebrows to soar up. "WOAH!" He thought. "How did he learn that!"

Then he found out why.

"Yu poormu dissy!" A rough, biker-style voice barked out. Ashton turned his head, and Rupert, who had been hiding on top of a nearby DDR machine jumped quickly behind the machine and peeked one eye behind it, looking to see who was approaching Ashton.

It was a muscular, tall experiment that had a rooster-like crest on top of his head, with strong stripes of dark red and blue upon his light blue skin. He had hooved hands and feet, a big white t-shirt with camouflage pants and sharp teeth, and he was clearly the leader of the group that was approaching. One was a slightly buck-toothed, green-skinned experiment with tilted antennae and a rather skinny body who had a big sneer and, get this, a polo shirt with a pocket protector. The other male was an experiment with a very round head and eyes that were frighteningly empty. He had dark blue skin and stubby fingers and puffy cheeks, wearing a rather beautiful long scarf that trailed behind him, with ocean waves painted upon it. Behind them was one of the most frighteningly beautiful experiments Rupert had ever seen…and he recognized her, or rather her form.

"Hello, Ashy-boy." The big one said.

The experimental girl approached from behind the big one, a cruel smirk on her face. She had a similar design to Stitch, only her ears were shorter and curled up like horns. Two large fangs jutted down from the top of her lips, and she had short antennae that curled back behind her, with thick locks of beautiful white hair running down from the top of her head down to her neck. Her skin was a devilish red, and her eyes glowed brightly, pale yellow and slit like a cat's eye. She wore a light red jacket and a white t-shirt that was extremely close to her chest, showing off her well-sculpted breasts. She flexed her pure black claws and licked her lips, revealing a bright pink tongue.

"My baby here says you like to play with fire…" The big one went on.

Ashton paled at first, then groaned. "Leave me alone, Pitt…" He mumbled. "Every day you, Aaron and Alexander come after me…"

"Well maybe if you were less of a little f-g then we wouldn't have to do this." Pitt said simply.

Ashton took off, naturally. The girl grinned and raised her clawed hand, blowing on the palm. A sizzling burst of pinkish/red flame popped up, and she threw it. It whizzed through the air and landed right in front of Ashton as he tried to run away on the sidewalk. He turned around, eyes filled with a desperate anger. He looked around and noticed something in an alley, diving into it. As the bullies approached, he came out, holding a pipe.

"I mean it!" He screamed. "I'll hit you!"

"Like you'd ever have the courage…" Pitt snickered.

Suddenly Rupert quivered. He could sense something…

The girl raised her hand again, chuckling. "This won't hurt a bit…" She crooned.

"THIS WILL."

Pitt suddenly kicked her, and she went flying through the air, landing in a trash can. Aaron turned just in time to see Pitt grab him and fling him through the air, and he landed on a nearby roof. Alexander simply took off, running for dear life. Pitt then raised both hooved hands and slammed them into his face before he fell down. A moment later, a whispery, shining white light left his nostrils reformed and transformed into an angelic experiment with a cross on it's neck and a cone-like head.

"Hello, Jude…" Ashton muttered.

"Ashton, you are as a brother to me, but know this: one can't feel afraid." Jude told him. "You have to learn to stand up to these bullies and show true courage."

"Whatever." Ashton said, walking off. Jude sighed. Then he turned and saw Rupert coming out from behind the DDR machine.

"You're following him." He said simply.

"How often does he get attacked?" Rupert asked. "And WHY!"

"Well…Pitt and the others are told to hate him by their owners, I am afraid. Although...the fault does not completely lie with them. You see, Ashton sows the seeds of his own punishment." Jude said sadly, crossing his arms.

"And what exactly is THAT supposed to mean!" Rupert asked, putting his paws on his hips.

"…wait and see." Jude told him.

As it were, Rupert DID wait and see. School rolled around in two days, and Rupert knew it would be hard for him to sneak into the school…

But he had help.

"Okay, let's get something straight." Sandy stated as he helped Rupert up onto his shoulders and they moved, on top of Daveigh, to the vent shaft outside of the school. "I don't like Ashton, and there's not been any solid proof that anybody's been beating him up…"

"Of course not, he doesn't SAY anything." Rupert mumbled.

"Look, Daveigh feels bad for him too, so that's the ONLY reason I'm doing this." Sandy said. "Or my name isn't Sandy!"

"Well it fits." Rupert stated. "I mean, your voice is-"

"Yeah, but that's not why he's got his name." Daveigh said calmly as they reached the vent. "Stitch and Angel's daughter made passionate love on a beach from what Snitch told us!"

"Who's Snitch! And you actually-I mean…on a BEACH?" Rupert asked, utterly surprised.

"Nosy's grandson, and yes, they did!" Daveigh explained. "Go on in through the vent, I just love this secret agent stuff! Next time we help you, can we bring black face paint and a black outfit?"

"Why not?" Sandy said, grinning.

Rupert climbed through the ventilator shaft and began following the blueprint instructions he'd printed out at the house of the Edmonds's, while Daveigh ran inside the school to get to her class and Sandy headed back home. "Okay, left…then right for five yards, make a right turn…here we go, this is his class…"

Hamsterviel sat near the grate and looked in, listening intently from above. Luckily he was above the teacher, a perfect place, considering she could only see him if she looked up, and she was now looking at the desk she sat at. Adjusting her hair, she stood up and let loose a long sigh as the children all piled into their seats.

"Well, once more I'm back teaching again, and no, I'm not at ALL annoyed that I had to come back from Cancun…anyhow, let's all reiterate…since I just got back and since we finished with our Geographical Bee weeks ago, with Ashton Edmonds as our winner…"

Hamsterviel's ears perked up as he heard the unmistakable voice of Ashton going "yes". He could imagine Ashton was grinning, and had done a "hoo-yeah" punch in his chair. He could also hear grumbling, signifying that his classmates didn't like this.

"Anyhow, I'm going to be passing back your reports on the presidents." The teacher stated. "Now then…" She stood up and left her desk. Hammy lowered his head slightly and peered closer, getting a slight view of the classroom. Ashton was sitting at the front, naturally.

"Okay, now most of you did very well…although SOME of you thought it was funny to put that our 42nd president was Chef Boy Ar Dee…" She looked directly at Daveigh, who smiled good-naturedly.

"Ashton, here's your report." She said simply, handing him a packet. He looked at the top and a HUGE grin appeared. He suddenly jumped up on his chair and began doing the most amazing thing Rupert had ever seen: a jerky imitation of a "Hammer Time" dance as he said "Uh-huh, I did it, highest grade agaiiinn, highest grade agaaaain! What's the time?" He pointed up, grinning. "Ashton Time!"

"Sit DOWN, Ashton." The teacher stated. "Now then…" She returned to her desk as the grumbling around the class got louder. "I don't really have much else for you, since I'm quite tired from jet lag and…okay this is odd…" She looked down at her desk and held up her personal planner, which had "To-Do List" on the top. "Who put "Give Hard Math Test" on my list!"

FIVE MINUTES LATER…

"I can't believe I have to save you from an angry mob!" Rupert shouted as he yanked Ashton into the Janitor's Closet and locked the door behind them. "Usually, they're after ME." He thought.

"It had been three weeks! You'd think everyone would want one!" Ashton complained.

"Well you're just going to have to wait until school is over then. I'll have to sneak you food from the cafeteria…" Rupert stated.

"Why were you in the vent!" Ashton demanded to know.

Now, Hamsterviel's family was filled with one skill: Being able to lie and lie well. Even Rupert was capable of it. He felt bad about it, but it was the only way he was going to get Ashton off his back.

"I was sneaking in because somebody thought it would be funny to make me the "Class Hamster" and I had to escape from a classroom. I was running through the vent shaft and looking for a way to escape when I heard your voice and out of interest, I peeked in on you in class."

Ashton blinked…and bought it. "Okay." He said. "But I'm coming out of this closet when Lunch rolls around and you can't stop me." He complained.

"You should be less-"

"I can't help it if I'm gifted." Ashton stated angrily. "And they're mostly a bunch of jerks and bullies. Grandma always agreed with me, so it must be true!"

Rupert groaned. This kid was just…

They stayed in the janitorial closet for quite a while, and Ashton continued to speak about his talks with Myrtle the whole time. Naturally Hamsterviel knew that this was a perfect way to psycho-analyze the kid.

"So…she told me that there's nothing worse than a bully, and that I can't let them just push me around, but…well, what am I supposed to do when a bully's three times my size and able to bench press a hundred of me?"

Rupert honestly had no answer for a question like that. But he did have one question…

"Why don't the police see the things that happen and put a stop to it?" He asked. "I would think that SOMEBODY would notice you-"

"They usually "take care of me" in a more private place." Ashton muttered. "Also, the town's been divided up. There are certain areas that belong solely to experimental citizens. Originally everyone lived together peacefully enough, but then Leroy returned to the town and…well…bottom line, he was defeated, but ever since then humans and experiments don't usually stick around each other. Luckily there are plenty of exceptions, but the majority are still feeling the sting of Leroy's invasion. It's amazing "_Jay_" hasn't regressed and tried to finish what his father started."

"So Leroy DID have a child? With who?"

"I don't honestly remember, since I hate _Jay_." Ashton said with incredible venom.

"Well in any case…" Rupert began.

Then the bell rang. "That's it, I'm getting lunch. And then I'm going off to Gym. And don't follow me!" Ashton said, leaving the room.

Rupert groaned and pulled his face down with his paws, groaning. Okay, back to the vent shaft…

A trip to the cafeteria via the vent shaft revealed a large, circular room with five different stands. Each of them were serving different kinds of foods, and Ashton had gone to the line with pasta. Daveigh was in the line for "Specialty Food" and had gotten a Jamaican Meat Patty. The hamster noticed that she was looking at Ashton with great pity, and that she soon made a beeline for him after he'd sat down at an empty seat. The other kids were glaring at him, though he ignored this.

"Ashton, eat your food quick and run. This time Jolie, McGrudder and Justin are going to-"

"Daveigh, just go away, alright!" Ashton snapped. "**Leave me alone**!"

Daveigh looked honestly hurt, and she walked off, rubbing her nose slightly. Ashton began chowing down on his buttered pasta when Rupert noticed three kids were approaching from behind…

And the first one slammed his face into the pasta. It was a girl with long, dark hair and a pretty yet cruel face. Her brown/black eyes glistened with malevolent intent, and the two guys next to her didn't look nice either. The first guy was African-American, and his hairstyle was…how to put it gently? It looked like somebody had stuck him in a machine that cut hair and the "Random" option had been chosen. It looked so outrageous, it looked almost fake. And the other one had blue hair in large waves, and was wearing dark blue clothing. His skin was as pale as sea foam.

The girl let Ashton stay up, and he spat out pasta from his mouth. "Go away, Jolie…" He mumbled.

"Aww, don't you want to compliment me on my form today like usual?" Jolie asked snidely. "McGrudder, Justin, doesn't he usually say I need to do it…HARDER?" With that last insult, she whacked him over the head, hard. Ashton was dead silent.

"Heh-heh-heh." McGrudder chuckled. "Yeah, you do, boss."

"True…" Justin whispered softly.

Ashton stood up, then suddenly turned around and SHOVED Jolie away. "Get off my case, buzzard face!" He snarled, walking out of the cafeteria.

As he did leave, he was once AGAIN pulled into a nearby janitorial closet.

"First of all, leave Daviegh out of your tantrums." Rupert told him, jabbing a pawed digit into Ashton's stomach so hard that his glasses bounced up. "Secondly, I take it those humans have experiments in their family? Pitt, Aaron, Alexander?"

Ashton turned his head and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah." He mumbled.

"No wonder they hate you. You should be nicer to people, especially to Daveigh, she just wants to help-"

"Grandma Myrtle always told me that I have to stand up for myself and not accept charity!" Ashton snapped back. "Now leave me alone!" He walked back out of the closet. Rupert groaned.

Gym did not go well. At all.

"AAAA!" Ashton shouted as he ran away from Jolie's toss of a dodgeball.

"AAIIIEEE!" He screamed as McGrudder almost beaned him over the head.

"WOAAAH!" He yelled as Justin's ball narrowly missed him.

He stopped to catch his breath, panting…

And then he hollered and roared and ran for his life as every single other kid took aim and flung their dodgeballs at him.

Soon he was walking away from school, heading back home at the end of the school day, hair messed up, glasses skewered slightly and his clothes rumpled up. "I forgot how much I hate Dodgeball day…" He mumbled.

"Well it must be "Bad Memory Day", since your gym teacher forgot all about the detention she was supposed to give Jolie and her friends until you reminded her." Rupert told him condescendingly as he approached Ashton from behind.

Ashton shrugged. "I don't care. Grandma Myrtle always told me I should be honest, even if it means being brutal. Now leave me alone. I've got the house to myself until 5:30 when Mom and Dad get back from work."

Rupert crossed his arms and stopped, sighing as Ashton walked off. "I don't understand why-"

And then he did.

**BGM: Someone, by Tammany Hall NYC**

Rupert blinked his red eyes slowly as his arms fell away from his sides. How had he not seen it before?

"I'd better get there first…" Rupert said.

At that moment, he noticed Jay was riding down the street on his skateboard. Immediately he rushed forward and shoved Jay off, then jumped on the skateboard and took off down the street. Jay rubbed his head and groaned. "What hit me?" He asked.

Ashton dumped his backpack with a loud "THUMP" as he stomped up the steps angrily. He made a turn and opened the door…

And found Rupert sitting on Myrtle's bed, hands folded in his lap as his tail twitched behind him.

"Hello Ashton." He said simply.

Ashton's eyes became filled with fury. "Get OFF you RAT!" He snarled. "Don't you dare-you don't-you don't have any right, get OFF!" He rushed forward and began beating Rupert over the head over and over. The little alien simply sat there and took it. "No right, no right, get-get off, get…get…

Finally he stopped speaking and just began crying, his body flopping down on the bed and sobbing into the blanket. Rupert walked over to him and sat down next to him, paw on his shoulder.

"You miss her a lot, don't you?" He asked.

Ashton barely got a "yes" out in between his sobbing gasps.

"She meant a lot to you. She was probably one of the few people you ever truly opened up to…am I right?" He asked.

"I miss her so much!" Ashton sobbed, lifting his head. His glasses had fallen off, and his hair was falling around his face. He looked absolutely horrible in grief. "She was the only person who seemed to really understand me…and now she's gone…"

Rupert held his hand. "Ashton…I felt the same way."

Ashton blinked and sniffled. "H-How?" He asked.

"Let me tell you a story…" Rupert said.

_Someone makes love…love makes someone…someone gives love…someone takes none…_

It took a while, but when he was finished, Aston was sitting up, and the two were now looking right at each other. Ashton sniffled away the last of his tears.

"So I know that…that I can never, EVER take the place of Myrtle…" Rupert began. "But I'm going to be here. I'll do what I can to help you out. It's what she would have wanted. And it's the least I can do."

Ashton looked out the window. The nearby palm tree gently blew in the wind. Finally he sighed.

"Dr. Hamsterviel…I…I guess I don't mind you…you hanging around." He said.

"Call me Rupert." Rupert said.

_Some grow ageless while they're bodies growin' old…and they just smile…they just smile…_

_Ashton_ smiled. "Okay…Rupert."

He hopped off the bed and he and Rupert went downstairs. "You know, it's not a bad name." Ashton said.

"Neither is yours, Ashton." Rupert told Ashton as they sat in front of the TV in the living room and Ashton turned it on. "Personally, I think it's kinda beautiful."

Meanwhile, back at the park, a smooth little rock slowly but surely washed up on the opposite side of the shore of the pond...

**Sneak preview!  
**

_"Hey there, Rupert!" The experiment spoke, waving eagerly. "You free today? I want to show you around town!"_

_Rupert looked at Grey with an exasperated expression. How had he snuck up to the house so silently?_

_..._

_"Hogan…listen carefully…VERY carefully to what I'm about to ask. Does the newcomer look like a hamster?"_

_"…hmm…yes, I suppose. An albino hamster."_

_There was silence on the other end for several moments. Then, as if it pained him to get the words out, "Capture…him. **NOW**."_

_..._

_"Uh…aloha?" He offered, raising a paw and waving it slightly as a sheepish smile popped out on his face._

_Stitch suddenly jumped over from Angel's side and promptly grabbed Rupert by the neck, throttling him, claws digging in deep..._


	7. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

Rupert had a lot of free time on his hands the next day, since he was eagerly waiting Ashton to come home and tell him what school had been like. So he'd taken upon himself to clear up the house while Mr, Mrs and young "Master" Edmonds were gone.

"Lord almighty! I feel mah temperature risin'! Rupert sang out to the TV, which was switched to a station that played nothing but Elvis hits. Even after almost 90 years, the king was still the king.

He'd been really happy that Daveigh had dropped off a present for him in the mail that morning: Chocolate-covered mini-carrots. He appreciated it a lot, and had written back to her just five minutes ago. Now what to send along with it? Would the mailman deliver a shrunken head? He knew she liked shrunken heads…

That's when our furry protagonist noticed somebody tapping on the window outside and turned his head to get a better look, turning the vacuum off. It was Grey.

"Hey there, Rupert!" The experiment spoke, waving eagerly. "You free today? I want to show you around town!"

Rupert looked at Grey with an exasperated expression. How had he snuck up to the house so silently? Didn't he, Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel, have the best ears this side of…

Oh whatever! No time for fooling around, Rupert, he thought to himself. He looked away, back to the vacuum cleaner. "I have to clean the-"

"Clean the house?" The experiment said, smiling. "Look, I'll help you out later. But come on, you really should come with me. There's a lot of things you need to know about the town! Stuff changed over time. Lots of stuff!"

Rupert looked from the vacuum to the experiment, then sighed as he walked to the door and opened it up. "Alright, I'll come with you but I have to get back before 5-"

"We'll have PLENTY of time!" Grey said, grabbing his hand. "Come on, Bellatrix and David are waiting in the hovercar!"

Grey led Rupert to the end of the driveway, where a red, smooth hovercar was waiting. It was rounded in shape, and could seat four. It also had a bump in the back: the trunk. Bellatrix was sitting in the backseat while David was riding shotgun. Rupert hopped into the backseat and buckled up while Grey took the wheel.

"Here we go, boys and girl, hang onto your underwear!" He snickered, and turned the key. The hovercar whizzed through the air and down the road, heading into town.

"Oh he's going nearly 90 as he's driving down the track, yeah you know the guy is drivin' like he's never comin' baaaaack!" Grey sang out. Rupert noticed that while Grey was driving, David's claws were clenching into the car, and he had stiffened in terror.

"Grey's got no problem with normal cars…" Bellatrix whispered as Grey kept singing, "But when he gets in a hovercar or puts on a jetpack he goes kinda nuts. We're all sort of afraid of him, to tell the truth."

"Why? He's…eccentric, I'll grant you that, but he doesn't seem…" Rupert began.

"A lot of us think his father was none other than Ovni, Experiment 453, one of the greatest spies in all of Jumba's original experiments!" She whispered harshly.

Suddenly Rupert experienced a flashback, a memory of when he'd taken up his brother's persona and name. The 400 series had mostly been a series of failures…some had been frightening ones, like experiment 421. He…he remembered 453.

"I remember, he…he was incredibly good…a master of infiltration and information retrieval…" Rupert muttered.

"He supposedly had incredible power." Bellatrix said. "But he vanished around the time of Leroy's invasion. We think that Grey is his son, he's got the same shade of grey fur, his past is a total mystery, and he seems to know everything about everyone…scariest of all is his equipment…"

"Equipment?"

"Ovni was supposed to have several strange items that granted him incredible powers…and Grey's watch, ring and necklace…we believe that they're the things that grant him those powers. He seems to be able to understand all languages, he's able to sneak into places that are more tightly locked up than Fort Knox, and most of all…"

"He can disappear into the night like shadow and sneak around without being heard at all…" Rupert ended. "I…I have seen it firsthand."

"Indeed. There's something else that hints that he's related to Ovni: He stood by Lilo's side constantly, saying he swore an oath to…Ovni owed Lilo Pelekai his life and also swore an oath to protect her always. We believe that Grey is continuing his father's oath. He saved Daveigh's life twice, once from a speeding car and once from an attack by an assassin…"

"A WHAT?! Rupert shouted, horrified.

"We still don't know who hired him or WHY, I mean, Daveigh makes friends as easily as she breathes, and she's a creative genius!" Bellatrix stated. "To think somebody hates her that much…" She gulped. "It scares us…"

Rupert smiled. "I know, once she made me an entire DNA helix out of bubble gum, hard candy and lollipops. I got a stomachache trying to finish it with her but boy, we had fun! I think that was three days before…before…"

He stopped, blinking slowly. Then he hung his head. Oh Myrtle…

Finally he spoke back up. Something was bothering him. "Tell me, why is it that I do I not see more experiments around town? The question has been irking me for some time…irking, irking, irking…"

"You just said "irking" three times in a row." Bellatrix laughed.

"Sorry, it's a quirk…I think it runs in the family…" Rupert admitted.

"Well first of all, we wouldn't be going along with you if not for the fact that Grey dragged us and our dad said we have to learn to forgive you…"

"Who is your father?"

"627, DUUUUUH!" Bellatrix laughed. "He of all people knows what it's like to go completely crazy and revert to a villainous personality, he sometimes slips."

"Oh…" Now Rupert remembered: the last time he'd been at Hawaii, they'd learned that 627 had MPD, or Multiple Personality Disorder, hence the name Lilo had chosen for him: Legion.

"Dad forgave you and said we should to, so I'll answer your question, "Hammy". Basically the town got divided up ever since Leroy came, and we're going through an area that belongs to HIS territory now…" David admitted sadly.

"Who is "he"? Rupert asked.

As it were, a shadowy group was watching from above. The leader, a burly-looking being, raised his muscular wrist up to his mouth, speaking through a watch-radio of red and blue. "Lord Stitch, we see people entering our territory." He whispered, his voice having a heavy accent.

"It isn't that choir boy Jude, is it? He's sweet-hearted, but I'm tired of talking with him about-"

"No, no. All experiments. One's Bellatrix, One's her brother David…the driver is Grey."

"GREY? HIM? He's here…of course. Showing another newcomer to the island around. He does this every time he makes a new friend, remember? Just let them pass through, it's not that big of a deal. But first, who's the new friend Grey has with him?"

"It's this…um…this, well, it looks like a rabbit."

"What? One of Link's descendants?"

"No, no, he actually looks more like a gerbil…no, maybe a…"

"Hogan…listen carefully…VERY carefully to what I'm about to ask. Does the newcomer look like a hamster?"

"…hmm…yes, I suppose. An albino hamster."

There was silence on the other end for several moments. Then, as if it pained him to get the words out, "_Capture…him. __**NOW**_."

Hogan nodded. "It will be done." He turned to the others. "Wyrd Sisters, come on! We've got a capture to make: we go for the white thing with them. Remember: don't involve any of the other experiments unless there's no choice, those Lord Stitch's rules."

"We know, we know." The first said.

"We are not ignorant." The second agreed.

"We'll do, and do and DO!" The third laughed.

The red hovercar continued down the streets between the houses, passing by a long, white line that was painted in the middle of the road. "That's the line separating the two main regions of the island." Bellatrix explained. "The experiments control part of the town, but the majority of them have created a city inside of the forest and in the outer ring of-"

Then it happened. Grey suddenly saw something up ahead and stopped the hovercar on a dime, jumping out. "Guys, somebody's been hurt!" He shouted, rushing over to the downed form of a bulky experiment. This experiment was 5 feet tall and muscular, with large, perfect peach marble skin. He had thick yellow lines running from his shoulders down to his stomach, spreading across the stomach to cover it and going down the legs. His tail was short and stubby, and he had thick golden hair falling from his head and from his face: a moustache and beard completed the look. There was a single blue band on his arm, and alien script written on it.

"Hey, hold on!" Bellatrix shouted, making Rupert cringe as she jumped out of the hovercar. David also left the car, and they walked over as Grey tried to check the experiment's pulse. "That band, what's written on it?"

"Hogan of the 10." Grey stated. "And he seems to be breathing, I can't see where he was-"

Suddenly Bellatrix was hit by a purplish/black bolt of energy that made her wail horribly as she hit the ground, unconscious. David rushed over to her, calling out her name, but he too was struck down a moment later. Grey gasped as three female experiments hovered down from the sky. They had long ears and antennae, and pure white eyes. One had long yellow hair, one had long red hair, one had long black hair. All had pointed noses and sharp, long fingernails, but most noticeable of all were the bands upon each of their arms and the strange tattoo on the front of their chests, between their breasts. Grey recognized it though…

"The symbol for Darkness in Tantalog." He stated. Rupert quivered in the backseat, frightened. What was going on?

"The Wyrd Sisters, hand in hand, shall capture thee on His command." They all recited at the same time.

Grey crossed his arms and frowned. "I don't have time to come with you, I have to help this-"

Suddenly a needle was jammed into his arm. His white pupils dilated, and he gasped, falling down on his face, unconscious. Rupert immediately whimpered and hid under the seat as Hogan stomped over to the car.

"Are you gonna be nice and come out, or what?" He asked, a thick accent almost choking the words that came out of his mouth.

Rupert didn't say anything. He just covered his eyes with his paws.

"Thought so…" Hogan mumbled. He cracked his knuckles and then grabbed the hovercar, flipping it over. Rupert went tumbling out, landing on the ground. He watched Hogan toss the car up into the air, then the big lug grinned and clenched his fist. He stomped on the ground and a chunk of road went flying up. He punched it, and it suddenly became a shiny, miniature metal missile that went flying through the air, tearing through the hovercar and destroying it. Hogan turned to look at Rupert, whose eyes had gone wide.

"I don't know whose son you are, but if I were you…I'd come with me nicely…"

"Leave…him a…alone…" Grey mumbled, getting to his knees. "I said…"

"I heard what you said. I don't care." Hogan mumbled.

Grey suddenly snarled and got on all fours, rushing at Hogan with uncharacteristic speed. He jumped up and grabbed Hogan tightly, clawing him and biting his shoulder. Rupert tried to run, knowing this was his only chance, but then the Wyrd Systers suddenly landed right in front of him, and they each snapped their fingers. A box of pure dark energy surrounded him.

"We've got you now!"

"You cannot run!"

"Now it's time to have some fun!"

"You can play with him later, in prison." Hogan said. Grey had been knocked out hard over the head, and Hogan had slung him over his shoulder. Rupert gulped. He'd just LEFT prison less than a month ago! Could he not catch a break?

SOON…

Rupert found himself deposited in a large, circular, coliseum-like ring. The walls were colored stainless steel, and there was a large light beaming down from above, the only light around. Rupert looked around and rubbed his chin. He estimated in his head that the place was about 100 feet in length and 80 in height…and now that he noticed it, there was a ring of experiments surrounding him at the farthest edges of the ring.

As luck would have it, Grey was unconscious next to him. As bad luck would have it, Hogan was staring right down at the experiment, looking very satisfied.

"Not so tough now without your things, huh?" He asked, holding a clear box that had a watch, a blue mood ring and a mood necklace within it…all of Grey's things. Hogan laughed. "Now then…" Turning to Rupert, he grinned. "Okay experiment, what's your power? Turning invisible? Screaming like a little girl? Peeing yourself?"

Rupert suddenly realized that Hogan was a jockish type…and that meant he could trick him.

"Oh, I'm a mental manipulation experiment." He lied smoothly, voice becoming low. "I'm able to transmit my own brainwaves into your head…"

Hogan's smile was falling faster than a coconut from a palm tree.

"I can make you do anything I want to…" Rupert whispered. "Why, I might already be taking over your hand!" He laughed in a creepy fashion that got chills running up Hogan's spine. He dropped the box and looked at his hand in a horrified fashion.

"Uh, uh, how can I stop it?.um, hypothetically, of course…" Hogan gulped.

"Well, if you're unconscious I can't very well-" Rupert began explaining in a "as a matter of fact" fashion.

Hogan immediately clenched his fist, and it became encased in a hard, metallic shine. He slammed it into his face, and was down and out like a light.

Rupert grinned and rubbed his paws together. "Maybe being my brother for a while WASN'T so bad…" He thought to himself.

NOT THAT LONG AFTER…

"Ohhhhh…"

"Oh good, you're awake!" Rupert said, leaning over Grey as he slowly woke up. Grey got to his feet and rubbed his head.

"What happened?" He asked, looking around. The other experiments were gazing at Rupert with obvious fear and nervousness.

"Oh, we've been kidnapped." Rupert stated in a simple fashion. "That Hogan experiment took your items…but I got them back and got the uneducated goon to knock himself off. It was…um, kinda hard getting the box open…"

FIVE MINUTES AGO…

"OPEN, darn you! OPEN!" Rupert shouts as he bangs Hogan's metallic fist on the box over and over. It finally dents and the top pops open.

PRESENT…

"Anyhow…here." Rupert stated, holding out the watch, the ring and the mood necklace. Grey's eyes lit up like a child at Christmas and he eagerly put them back on. He beamed down at Rupert.

"Mahalo, Rupert. Hey…uh…" He pointed at Hogan. "What happened after you opened the box? And why are the other experiments all looking at you like you're some one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater?"

Rupert rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I had to establish that I wasn't just some tasty treat they could try and eat…"

FIVE MINUTES AGO…

(Brief musical aid: Smack my b--h up)

Rupert was kicking the crap out of Hogan, starting from the face and working his way down, eyes glinting in the light as the albino alien bared his teeth. The other experiments watched, mesmerized with horror and fascination by the spectacle.

"You like that you punk-ass **bitch?!** _**TAKE IT!**_" Rupert howled.

PRESENT…

"He's gonna kill you when he wakes up." Grey said.

"Worth it." Rupert remarked.

Then who should enter the ring from above but the Wyrd Sisters, encasing Rupert and Grey in a box of dark energy.

"Our lord commands."

"We obey."

"We take you to him now. AWAY!"

With that, they felt themselves soaring up and down, almost banging into each other. Finally they were deposited back on the ground, and the box of dark energy vanished.

Grey looked up, and blinked his big eyes. Then he sighed.

"Hey little bro." He said softly.

Rupert rubbed his eyes and stood up, looking at the experiments that now stood before them.

The Wyrd Sisters stood side by side in a large hall with ornate designs upon the floor and many chandeliers on the ceiling. The walls were painted a beautiful royal blue and gold. Next to the three black experiments was a beautiful and slender female experiment of pink that Rupert recognized instantly. She wore a tiara of gold with several gems embedded in it on her head, and wore a ring upon her finger with a large diamond in it. She had her paws on her hips, and was wearing a necklace with a round, golden clasp covering the contents. Though the pink fur was slightly faded with age, and she had grey stripes beneath her eyes like bags, Rupert knew it was experiment 624…Angel.

And to her right, a furry, blue, alien koala-like creature who was "fluffy". Though he wore a purple robe and a small crown of gold with several jewels in them, and a ring similar to Angel's upon his finger, and though he had some bags under his eyes, though his fur had become slightly rougher and faded with age…this was 626…Stitch.

All around them were various experiments of dozens of shapes and sizes, circular, cone-headed, some that looked like living machines or plants come to life, fangs, claws, fins, paws, hands, tentacles, antennae, and all around, eyes were looking from Grey to Angel to Rupert, finally landing on Stitch.

Stitch looked Grey over and a brief sigh escaped his lips. Rupert looked over at him.

"He's your what?" He asked.

"Stitch is like a little brother to me, I'm the godfather of his children, especially Sandy, bless his heart." Grey explained. "So what's happening?" He asked simply.

Stitch shrugged. Then he turned to Rupert and sniffed his nostrils slightly, taking in the albino's scent as he rubbed his chin.

Rupert knew full well that even though Stitch had sort of forgiven him for what he'd done in the past as his brother, he wasn't sure if Stitch remembered forgiving him. All the same…

"Uh…aloha?" He offered, raising a paw and waving it slightly as a sheepish smile popped out on his face.

Stitch suddenly jumped over from Angel's side and promptly grabbed Rupert by the neck, throttling him, claws digging in deep.

"Vous êtes écrasant moi, vous êtes écrasant moi, you're crushing me, you're crushing me!" Rupert squeaked out in gasping breaths.

"You ruined **EVERYTHING!**" Stitch howled, tightening his grip. The claws dug in, and blood began to trickle down, running the albino's white fur and turning it pinkish.

"Ne peut respirer!" Rupert begged in between breaths.

"He can't breathe, Stitch, let go of him." Grey said.

"S'il vous plait!" Rupert hacked out, nodding quickly.

Stitch let go of Rupert, a snarl still on his face. "Everyone except the prisoners and you, booji-boo, has to leave. NOW."

People clambered out of the hall, leaving Grey and Rupert alone with Angel and Stitch. Stitch crossed his arms and glowered at the hamster/rabbit/gerbil.

"You…I thought you were dead…it would have been so much better if you HAD been!" He snarled. His English had improved, Rupert noted. He spoke it quite fluently, and without much growling in his tone.

"Leroy said that you had been frozen to death in space." Angel stated, looking confused. "He told us that while we were fighting him in the last battle."

"I WAS frozen. But I didn't die." Rupert stated. "I landed here upon this island. Now why did you-"

Stitch growled, and his claws extended sharply. Rupert gulped and clambered away, running behind Grey and quivering.

"You're the one who caused Nani and David to die…you're the one who allowed Leroy to break free…you sent him and his clones down to Earth as revenge…you caused so much suffering…" Stitch growled furiously.

Rupert blinked. "Quoi?" He asked, confused, stepping out from behind Grey. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb! You sent Leroy and the others back to Earth! He told us your whole plan! If he hadn't backstabbed you, then I would have killed you myself." Stitch said, advancing slowly.

Suddenly Rupert realized it. Leroy had lied, pretending to come to Earth on HIS orders. Then the trog had said he'd betrayed Hammy and sent him to freeze out in deep space, so that nobody could ever find him and get the truth. They'd all taken Leroy at his word because they had believed Hammy had regressed back into being a megalomaniacal villain.

"The humans may not remember your face, but the old experiments, WE still do…and now…"

Stitch tossed off his crown, removed his ring and handed it to Angel, and dropped his robe to the ground.

"Now…you're going to die…" Stitch whispered.

"Wait, hold on, you should listen to what he wants to-" Grey began.

"I don't want to hear ANYTHING out of Hamsterviel's mouth unless it's "Oh my God, I'm dying, now I'm moving towards the light, but wait, this is HELL…hello Hitler, hello Pol Pot, GRANDMA!? Now then…to business!"

He leapt at Rupert, who ducked and shouted out a cry of fear as he covered his head and closed his eyes. He didn't want to die, **please God, don't let me die!**

There was a "BUMF" and a "THUMP". Rupert opened his eyes slowly…

Grey had punched Stitch away and was now in a spreading himself in front of Rupert, eyes alit with fire. "You want him…"

He growled and a small rumble built up, finally bursting out in a large roar. "YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH **ME!**"

**Sneak preview!**

_"Had enough yet, Stitch?" Grey asked._

_Stitch jumped back up, grinning. "I'm just warming up." He stated, rushing forward at full speed. Grey thrust his fist out to punch him, but Stitch leapt on top of the arm and punched Grey straight in the face. The experiment soared through the air, hitting the wall with a loud "KA-CRUNCH". He was now embedded deeply inside of it, and was unable to stop the flurry of punches and kicks that Stitch unleashed upon him a moment later._

_..._

_"So get this straight. This is a test to make sure we can trust you. And I don't give a rat's if you live or die. But so help me, if you try and stab us in the back, if you harm somebody we love and care for, if you don't get this done…well…" She licked her lips slowly, revealing her sharp fangs. "I wouldn't feel the least bit guilty about devouring you. Understand, little morsel?" _

_..._

_No, please!" Daviegh begged, tears springing to her eyes. "I don't want to hurt my family…"_

_The experiment reached up and gently held one lock of her hair, running his clawed fingers through it, pulling it towards him slightly so he could take in the scent._

_"Yes…oh, such a lovely smell…" He whispered. "Don't worry, once I've finished with you and you've finished your family, I won't allow you to suffer any more. Just a nice, peaceful snap…"_


	8. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

"Grey, why are you…why are you protecting him!?" Stitch asked, furious.

"Rupert isn't a bad person. He may have done some bad things…"

"VERY bad things." Angel said, putting her hands upon her hips.

"…okay, VERY bad things, but he's a good guy deep down."

"Oh really? If he's such a good person deep down, I'll be sure to bury him 12 feet into the ground." Stitch said.

Rupert tried to speak up. "I was locked in an escape pod and-"

"Leroy told us EVERYTHING, gerbil-boy. Shut up." Angel snapped.

Rupert immediately shut up. But Grey growled.

"He's not a bad person and I won't let you hurt him. Lilo would want you to-"

"You don't get to even say her NAME!" Stitch howled, leaping at Grey while Rupert ducked to the side. Grey jumped back, baring his fangs.

"I don't wanna fight you, but I WILL, Stitch!" Grey insisted.

"Then it'll be serious." Stitch said, jumping at him.

The two collided, and rolled around, scratching and biting and tearing at each other's chests. Rupert gasped as Stitch bit into Grey's shoulder and he howled in pain, knocking Stitch away with his fist. He nursed his wound for a moment as Stitch flipped back up and sailed through the air, aiming to kick Grey in the head. The experiment instead ducked to the side, grabbing Stitch's leg and twirling him around and around over his head before slamming him into the ground and jumping back.

"Had enough yet, Stitch?" Grey asked.

Stitch jumped back up, grinning. "I'm just warming up." He stated, rushing forward at full speed. Grey thrust his fist out to punch him, but Stitch leapt on top of the arm and punched Grey straight in the face. The experiment soared through the air, hitting the wall with a loud "KA-CRUNCH". He was now embedded deeply inside of it, and was unable to stop the flurry of punches and kicks that Stitch unleashed upon him a moment later.

Finished, Stitch jumped down as Grey panted over and over. "Had enough, Grey?" Stitch asked.

Grey spat out some bloody spit and grinned. "I'm just warming up!" He shouted, wrenching himself free. He raised his ring into the air.

"Make believes reborn! Myths in mind re-thought!" He shouted. And suddenly a huge, swirling aura of shimmering green swirled around him like a small tornado. "Question all that's known! Legends blurred in tone!"

He slammed his ringed fist upon his heart, and the aura swept around his body, rushing with full force at Stitch, who thrust all of his hands forward. The aura and he clashed, with sizzling green sparks flying as Stitch endured the onslaught of energy. Finally it halted, and Stitch panted as he wiped his forehead.

"You haven't lost your touch." Stitch stated, slamming his fist into the ground, causing the entire place to bounce around like the hills were dancing. Grey and Rupert, who hadn't been expecting this, were caught of guard and fell to their butts. As soon as Grey had, Stitch jumped at him, grabbed his leg, and slammed him into the ground with full force.

Grey groaned and rubbed his head as Stitch stepped back. "I see you haven't lost your touch either…" Grey admitted.

Stitch began panting slightly. Finally he let out a "hmph" and walked back over to Angel, putting his things back on.

"Now understand this-"

"Mr. Stitch?" A voice called out.

Stitch turned his head and saw a blond-haired boy sticking his head out from a nearby doorway. He stepped out, revealing his sky-blue t-shirt and dark blue pants, while his blue eyes twinkled with curiosity.

"Oh, Charlie, how are you?" Stitch asked happily. "Come on in, Charlie, come on in."

Charlie sneezed, covering his mouth with a Kleenex he had in his pocket, then walked over. Angel ruffled his hair, smiling.

"This is Charlie, he's one of many of the adopted children we have." Stitch stated to Rupert. "Can you believe some families will disown children for making friends with "trogs" like us? Honestly. I'm becoming more and more disappointed with those humans every week…"

"I blame the rise of natural enhancement drugs." Angel stated.

"That helps. In any case, our society here is far more advanced than theirs. I think it's better if they stay with the winners than the losers…" Stitch raised an eyebrow. "Don't you?"

"It's one thing to take care of them like they're your kids, but to treat them as cheap labor…" Grey began.

"Uh-uh-uh, Grey." Stitch stated, raising a finger and moving it back and forth in the air. "Not so fast. We have strict laws here to ensure that the humans in OUR society aren't mistreated, especially not children. We're not monsters, despite what so much of Hawaii thinks."

"I thought that people got along well enough…" Rupert stated.

Stitch sighed. "I hate having to explain this…"

"Then I will." Grey said, turning to Rupert. "Basically Rupert, all of Hawaii contains experiments and humans living together for the most part…save for Oahu and Niihau."

"Why not Oahu and Niihau?" Rupert asked.

"Purists." Angel said with a tone of disgust.

"I had a pen pal here." Charlie said sadly. "Sandy Pelekai, he's an experiment. When my guardians found out…"

"People on Oahu don't trust our kind." Stitch said. "They think we're basically monsters through and through…"

"And the experiments upon Niihau, well…" Angel trailed off, leaning her down slightly in a "well, you know" fashion.

"They hate humans, I take it." Rupert inferred.

"No, a lot of them like humans…they're considered a delicacy." Stitch explained.

Grey stuck his tongue out. Rupert let out a "bleaugh" on the spot as he turned slightly green. Charlie instinctively clung to Angel.

"Charlie's like another son to us, along with Sandy, Kuko and Pakela." Angel stated. "We're more than happy to give humans a chance to prove themselves, but they won't give us a chance, mostly because they point to the Niihau islanders as perfect examples of "bloodthirsty trogs"…"

"Which is ironic…" Grey said sadly. "Because we expected better from Heartwing's son…"

Rupert gaped. Heartwing, he remembered that name, experiment 421, the light energy emitter! One of the sweetest…and most deadliest…experiments Jumba had ever made. It had almost killed Jumba back when he'd been evil, but from what he remembered, that was only because 421 hated the darkness and those that reveled in it…

"He had a son?"

"And a daughter…not on purpose, it was…one of Jumba's…er…" Grey looked nervously at the ground. "You see, he…uh…he wanted to…um…he got some of Heartwing's DNA and used it to…to…well, to impregnate a female experiment named Heatwave…"

"And she gave birth to a boy and a girl. The boy rules over Niihau. The girl we worried about because she showed signs of rambunctiousness early…" Angel admitted.

"But Heartwing's little boy was so gentle and sweet…" Grey remarked sadly. "We don't know how he sleeps at night knowing humans are slaughtered upon contact with his "people"…"

"My booji-buu had installed him as ruler of Niihau because he trusted him…we all did…and we all paid for it…" Angel told Rupert, looking down at the ground with regret.

That's when Stitch got an idea. A very nasty idea that was also a very deviously clever idea.

"I'm willing to make you a deal…" Stitch told Rupert, rubbing his chin. "My dear brother Chopsuey Wuwalu lives at Hanalei Bay. He's going to make an expedition to try and negotiate with the experiments on Niihau…if you go with him, and if the mission is successful, not only will the humans on Oahu see that even the wildest of us can be civil, but…I will consider you to be trustworthy…"

Stitch gave the albino a large, Cheshire Cat grin. "_Rupert._"

Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel gulped. This was the only chance he'd get, he knew it.

"I'll…I'll do it." He squeaked out.

Stitch walked over to him and squeezed his cheeks. "Good boy!" He laughed. "Now you'd better get moving. I'll have Pele and Hiaka escort you there-"

"Hold on." Angel said. "I want to speak with "Hammy" personally." She grabbed his arm and dragged the petrified little albino into a nearby hallway, then went into the nearest door. Rupert found himself in a large, plain storeroom filled to the brim with strange technology. Rupert recognized the capsules littered all around as standard healing cells, used for healing soldiers on the battlefield. They glowed in the dark room, a pale blue, lighting up the place as they pulsed slowly and steadily, like a heartbeat.

"Now listen here." Angel said, her tone low and dangerous. The light caught her in such a fashion that the glow seemed to come directly FROM her, it was an eerie effect. The little alien albino held his paws closely to his body, eyes going wide as he quivered. "I know perfectly well that you've had immense trouble trying to just be yourself. I'm not stupid either, I read up about you by hacking into the personality assessment that E.G.O had on you in their database…it was easier for you to be kind to others than it was for your brother or for Jumba because you were harrassed and picked upon so often and you lacked your brother's innate "nerve". And I'm not honestly sure if you DID send Leroy down. But I don't trust you either way."

She seemed to tower over him as sweat poured down his back. His tail twitched nervously behind him, curling in and out.

"So get this straight. This is a test to make sure we can trust you. And I don't give a rat's ASS if you live or die. But so help me, if you try and stab us in the back, if you harm somebody we love and care for, if you don't get this done…well…" She licked her lips slowly, revealing her sharp fangs. "I wouldn't feel the least bit guilty about devouring you. Understand, little morsel?" She asked, putting one finger below Rupert's chin and extending the claw upon it. A sharp pang and a prick and Rupert knew his skin had been cut slightly by her claw.

"_Y-yes…"_ He whimpered.

"Gooooood. Now come on." She grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the room, throwing him back to Grey, who caught him and lowered him gently down.

"Pele and Hiaka will be here soon. So remember, DON'T FAIL." Stitch insisted.

"Pele and Hiaka? Who are they?" Rupert asked Grey.

"Oh, they're-"

Then two females walked in. One had…well, a large firespout upon its head. She had glittering blue eyes and pink skin with blue stripes running around her well-sculpted, strong body. She had on a black jumpsuit with hot-rod flames running up and down her legs and a gold earring. The other female had long antennae drooping down from the back of her head, with furless, shiny blue skin and pale green hair that swept down in a fringe over one of her blue eyes. She had a strange tail that looked almost like a violin's bow, and she was wearing another black jumpsuit that had a swirling cascade symbol between her-

"Oh. You've got a bloody nose." Grey told Rupert.

So he did. Rupert quickly plugged his nose as he turned red, a hot feeling flushing through his body.

"Flame and Dan had pretty…well, pretty children." Grey admitted as the two females led them down a hallway to a large, blue-painted sliding door. "Oh, here we are."

There it was. A HUGE circular room with a large, glowing red pad in the center and a computer console located to the right. The first girl, whom Rupert guessed was Pele, walked over to the console and typed in coordinates.

"All right, the teleportation pad will take us straight to Hanalei Bay. And uh, you might feel a tingly sensation." She added.

"Why is that?" Rupert asked as they stepped onto the pad.

WA-WOOOM!

THAT was why! Suddenly it felt like Rupert had a million little tiny balls of fluff rolling up from the bottom of his feet to the top of his long ears. It was one of the weirdest things he'd ever felt, and everything was black for the briefest of moments before…

They were in another circular room, only this one had a green-painted door before them. "Come on, this way." Hiaka told Grey and Rupert, leading them through the door.

As they emerged outside into fresh air, Rupert blinked in awe. The sky seemed so clear, and the water was like glass, you could see right into the bay as a million different fish swum around, some jumping through the air. A seagull called out and another answered as the grass blew gently around. There were mountains behind the small building they'd left, and in front of them by the large bay were several experiments who were lounging around in deck chairs. One was playing in the sand, twirling designs onto a sand castle with his claw.

"Hey! Buddy!" Grey called out.

A green, furry experiment looked up, his white Mohawk waving slightly in the breeze. He looked remarkably like Stitch, and although he too had wrinkles under his eyes and his white underbelly had gone slightly grey, he still had the spark of life within those big black eyes. He was wearing a necklace that had a large fang on it, and it was resting on his chest. He wore plain white pants and when he saw Grey behind him, he immediately smiled and stood up from the chair, walking over and stretching out all of his arms.

"Grey, man, I haven't seen you in WEEKS!" He said, hugging him tightly. "How have you been doing?"

"Rupert, you might not remember him, but-"

"621." Rupert stated. "I would recognize that Mohawk and that "dragon fang" of yours anywhere." He stated, pointing right at the tooth that hung from the necklace.

"Still carrying it with you even though it fell out, ya old geezer?" Grey joked.

"Until the day I die!" 621 laughed.

Grey stiffened, sniffing 621. "Hey, "Scratch"…are you…you have that SMELL again…"

621 waved his hand dismissively in the air. "Oh, I only took a couple hits. Anyhow…" He turned to look at Rupert, crossing his arms. "What exactly are you doing here?" He asked, his tone becoming more serious. "I have to admit, after what Leroy told us, I didn't WANT to believe it, but…well, you never showed up to disprove it after so long, so I finally bought into what he said. Did you really regress and-"

"No, no!" Rupert said. "Leroy tricked me up at the Space Station! He shoved me into an escape pod that was set to make me into a hamster-sicle! But I landed here and survived. I swear, I didn't make any plans to get revenge, the only plans I had were what to eat the next day and whether I could get a violin delivered to me!" Rupert explained.

Chopsuey rubbed his chin, then smiled. "Alright, I believe you…although I'll bet Stitch doesn't. He sent you here to assist me with my mission, correct?"

"Correct." Rupert said. "So, from what I remember, you and Carmen were a couple, correct?" Rupert asked.

"She's still the most wonderful woman I could ever want." Chopsuey agreed.

Carmen stood up from her lawn chair, walking over to them. She had bright blue eyes, a body that closely resembled Angel's, but she had fruit upon her head like her namesake, was wearing tight-fitting blue jeans and of course-

"You got another nosebleed." Grey told him.

Rupert looked around nervously. "Anyone have a tissue?" He asked.

Pele took a Kleenex out of her pocket. "Here, gerbil-boy." She said.

"HAMSTER! HAAAAMSTEEERRR!" Rupert shouted, jumping up and down.

"Yep, you're still the same old "wascally wabbit", babe!" Carmen laughed.

"Anyhow, how about I introduce you to my family?" Her husband said, motioning for them to come over and say hi.

MEANWHILE…

Daveigh was at school, playing in Recess. She'd just finished reading "Prince Caspian" from "The Chronicles of Narnia" and was now making an ornate sand sculpture in the sandbox. A little bit here, little bit there…

"Voila! A mummy!" She laughed.

Sure enough, she'd created a mummy made of sand, lying on its back, hands folded over its chest. She DEFINITELY had her grandmother's weirdness.

The bell rang. It was time to come back in. The large throngs of kids rushed back into the school, but Daviegh was putting the finishing touches on her mummy. Finally finishing the ornate hieroglyphs, she turned around…

Suddenly something grabbed her from behind. She yelped, then in the blink of an eye, found herself surrounded by darkness. It was like night all around, she couldn't even see three feet in front of her…

Not that she needed to. Two feet in front of her was an experiment. He had black eyes with a purple tinge and black claws. His skin was the color of night, and the spiked crests he had ran down from his head to the tip of his tail. He had a scaly belly, and a thick, slightly pointed tongue licked his lips. Most of all were the wings…they were large and powerful, and this dragon that was at least a foot and a half taller than her was now staring down at her intently.

"A-Aloha…" Daveigh said, chilled to the bone by this person she'd never seen before. "I'm Daviegh…"

"You are Lilo's granddaughter, I know." It spoke. It's voice was like oil, and chillingly comforting. He bowed his head slightly. "Nightwing told me all about you. I am his son."

"You're Nightwing's son?" Daveigh asked.

Nightwing, experiment 561, was a dark energy emitter experiment. He had originally been evil, believing full-heartedly that his purpose was to swallow all things light. He simply had too much darkness within him to ever be good, he had told Lilo that several times before he'd tried to force himself on her to take her light and absorb it into himself. But he HAD turned good in time, and had become a vigilante to boot. He'd even found a wife while he was visiting New York.

"Unfortunately he and I had a falling out…" The experiment admitted.

"Why?" Daviegh asked, intrigued.

"Because I tracked you…your scent, your shine, child…" The experiment whispered, coming closer. "I want you. You shall turn to the darkness…"

"Wait, stop…" Daviegh said.

Suddenly he shot forward like a snake and wrapped his tail around her, pressing her to him. She looked up, and he looked down, both into each other's eyes.

"Such a prime specimen of human…" He whispered. "So sweet…so gentle and innocent…so cute…what a pretty little 11 year-old you are. And you'll be celebrating your birthday in a week, won't you?" He tickled her chin, but she didn't laugh.

"Let me go." She said softly.

"Why would I do that?" He asked. "I inherited my father's ability to spread dark energy…but I can manipulate it in a fashion that will allow me to control others…my seed of darkness, if you will."

He leaned in and smiled in her face, a mocking grin. "I'm going to turn you evil, and then I'll make you take a knife and you'll go back to your _ohana_ and when they're sleeping you'll cut and cut and cut!"

"No, please!" Daviegh begged, tears springing to her eyes. "I don't want to hurt my family…"

The experiment reached up and gently held one lock of her hair, running his clawed fingers through it, pulling it towards him slightly so he could take in the scent.

"Yes…oh, such a lovely smell…" He whispered. "Don't worry, once I've finished with you and you've finished your family, I won't allow you to suffer any more. Just a nice, peaceful snap…" He reached down and rubbed the side of her neck, leaning in and making her feel his heartbeat in his chest. "Now to begin." He stated.

"STOP…THAT."

They both turned their heads. A shining light was coming forth from afar, ripping the darkness apart like it was paper. "Let her go! Let her GO!"

"Hmm. So YOU'VE come. I suppose I'll have to deal with you later…" The dark experiment admitted. "Ta-ta…"

With a suddenly burst of light, she was back on the playground, on her butt. She stood back up, dusting herself off. There to her right was another dragon. It had a familiar, happy face and beautiful, angelic-like wings. It's scales were brilliant green, and it had a silver underbelly with a white heart insignia on it's chest. It rolled around in the grass, finally coming to a halt to look up at her, his silver claws and crested spikes shimmering in the light of day.

"I'm glad you're okay!" The dragon said happily. "I scared Eclipse off."

"Heartwing!" Daveigh exclaimed. "Boy, it's good to see you!"

Heartwing was experiment 421, and he was one of the sweetest, most gentle experiments around. He chased butterflies, enjoyed milk and cookies, liked to play with everyone he met, and best of all, he would get on his back and let you do a horse-kiss on his stomach…he really liked that. He was designed to emit light energy, and was sort of the polar opposite of Nightwing.

However, although harmless 99 percent of the time, Heartwing could become fanatical when it came to punishing those who tried to hurt people who were innocent and dear to him. Even the most gentle of angels could become a ruthless killer on the field of battle.

They'd all seen that during Leroy's invasion. Seeing Nani and David being given a fatal wound had crushed the little thing's heart…

MEANWHILE…

"Meet Victoria." Carmen said, motioning to her left.

Victoria was a cute little girl that resembled her mother in many aspects, from the pink fur to the blue eyes…but she had a wreath of cherries around her head instead of fruit directly on top, and red claws. A single fang poked out from the top of her mouth and she had long white hair that was dazzling in the sunlight, falling down her back smoothly. She had on a red t-shirt and white pants.

"Hola!" She said happily. "Como estas? Me nombre es Victoria. Ees nice to meet you." She said, nodding slightly.

"And this is my son Frank."

Frank had the same green fur as his father, and was slightly skinny to boot. His white hair though wasn't in a Mohawk but smoothed back, slightly wavy in form. He wore reflective black sunglasses and a large, toothy, friendly smile. He had a fairly big nose and was wearing a brown jumpsuit.

"Hey there." He said, nodding. "Nice to meet you."

"So then, you should know that Carmen and I are meeting with the other…well, I don't think "diplomats" is the completely correct term, more like "delegates"…tomorrow morning, right here on the beach. We head out to Niihau after that."

"Who else is coming with us?" Rupert asked.

"Bellatrix and David, Ark and Heartwing, Daveigh and Sandy and Gnash."

"Ark? Gnash?"

"Trainer and Phoon's children." Grey explained.

"But y-y-you're letting Daveigh come? But…but…she's so YOUNG!"

"Well she also happens to be incredibly technologically savvy, and she knows the weak spots of-"

"You CANNOT bring a human to an island filled with experiments that probably eat babies for breakfast!" Rupert exclaimed, horrified. He stepped forward, poking Chopsuey in the stomach. "If you bring her along she'll DIE!"

Suddenly he realized that he was baring his teeth to the one and only 621. This guy was incredibly dangerous to piss off! He was a killer!

But Chopsuey just looked down at him with a sort of "meh" expression. "Uh, could you get your paw digit out from my stomach?"

"…sorry…" Rupert apologized, stepping back.

"Besides, Ark's human as well, he's coming along and if need be, he'll back Dave-"

It was then that a brick seemed to hit Rupert's skull…or rather, that's how he felt.

"Ark…is…a…human? But…but you just said that…"

"Trainer fell in love with a human, they bonded over their love of martial arts. It was really a lovely ceremony." Grey explained.

"She looked so…BEAUTIFUL in her white dress!" Carmen admitted.

"Anyhow, Ark's got incredible martial arts skills. Don't worry, we'll be alright. Chops and Carmen are coming along with their kids, and hey…I'M here." Grey told Rupert, patting him on the shoulder.

"I'm just worried about Daveigh. I hope she doesn't get hurt." The albino admitted. "I mean, she's such a sweet, gentle girl…"

They all murmured their agreement. Chopsuey turned to the two sisters that had escorted Grey and Rupert. "Listen, they're not gonna back out on what they're going to do for us, so why don't you 'port them back home?"

"But-" They protested.

"If you're worried about getting in trouble with Stitch, I'LL take responsibility, alright? Now go, go. I've got a sand castle to make."

The trip back to the house was uneventful. The teleportation station took Rupert and Grey right back into Kokaua Town, to City Hall. The sisters bid the two goodbye, then teleported themselves back to Stitch's home, while Grey and Rupert walked down the City Hall's steps.

Rupert had been thinking about the task that had been placed upon him. It was a death sentence, he knew it. That infernal 626 fully expected him to die on the island, to fail.

Maybe he could kill him, and he wouldn't have to-

Kill him?

No, he couldn't do that. Even though Jacques had had experience in killing, HE'D never…

It had been because of HIM that Jacques had killed another being. Rupert had fallen in love with a beautiful female of the same species…but she had been…been…

"Well, I'd better head back…it's almost 2:15." Rupert stated, trying to get his mind off of her and that horrible spot in his life. "You have to help me clean, remember?"

Grey smiled. "I didn't forget. Here," he turned around and jabbed with his thumb. "Jump on my back."

Rupert was puzzled but did so.

"Hold on tight!" Grey exclaimed. He rubbed the mood ring on his finger, and a shining, brilliant white aura from before wrapped around his body. "Here…we…GO!" Grey exclaimed, and the two shot off through the air, flying down the sidewalk, heading for the Edmonds home.

"How do you DO this!?" Rupert hollered.

"Now THAT…is a secret!" Grey laughed. "I'll tell you ALL about it sometime though! Don't worry, a little wind power here, some light water use there, the entire house will be spic and span! Oop! Looky-looky, it's that annoying Pitt and company!"

Pitt and his two friends were speaking with the demon-girl experiment Rupert had seen a while back.

"Oh, I dislike Esmeralda. Hold on…"

Grey suddenly soared between the talking Pitt and that girl from before, sending them flying back. Pitt sailed into his two lackeys and into a trash can, while Esmeralda went straight into a nearby bush, causing a squirrel to leap on her head and scratch at her a few times before it ran off, annoyed.

"You are **CRAZY**!" Rupert shouted as Grey soared directly underneath a traffic light, grabbing onto it and making a quick left turn on the street he wanted.

"I know, ain't it great?" Grey said loudly, laughing.

MEANWHILE…

Inside of a large, circular room, light streamed in through the many stained-glass windows. A single being was there, his clawed paws resting upon the throne he sat on. His sleek white fur gleamed slightly in the light, and he breathed in, out, in and out, his tail swishing lazily.

Someone entered the room, bowing. An experiment with a pot belly and a teal belly, with a large nose and big grin. He had a black, smooth jumpsuit upon him and thick fingers with thicker claws. He pressed one fist to his chest, up to a strange insignia, and then looked up.

"Senkoukura-sama…we have heard word that tomorrow…people are coming to Niihau."

The one perched on the throne slowly opened his eyes.

"They intend, from what we've learned, to speak with us about negotiating peace between them and ourselves." The fat one explained.

"An alliance, I see." The form on the throne said, his voice melodious and beautifully enchanting. "Ah, 626, you send your brother out to face great danger…" He remarked sadly. "Still, there's no reason we cannot be civil, I shall try and hear them out…you know how it shall be done. They shall be tried and tested."

"We have also heard that both of…both of THEM shall be on the trip."

"…ahh, you mean the albino hamster Hamsterviel and the ever-mysterious Grey…interesting. I'll be quite glad to meet them."

The form raised his paw and nodded. "You may go now…there is much work to be done, much work. You may leave, Kuko of the Earth."

The experiment nodded at the throned one and left the room as the being smiled gently and his eyes closed again. He began to meditate…

**Author's Note:**

**And so the first arc ends! Now comes the Niihau arc, where Rupert must travel to the most forbidden area around to negotiate peace between the two islands of Hawaii. Good news: he will NOT be alone in this. Bad news...he sort of is already, and he will be even more alone soon enough. Dramatic twists and turns await! And by all means, read and review! **

**Oh, and bonus points for those who figure out what the Hawaiian names mean! They reveal quite a bit. And now for another sneak peek!**

__

"I can't KILL him, can I?" Rupert mumbled out loud to himself as he and Grey put the final touches on the living room. Grey clenched his fist, then slowly opened it, and a small gust of green energy swirled around him, gently lowering the table back down to the carpeted floor. He then turned to face the alien rodent, blinking.

"Rupert, you're not thinking of killing Stitch, are you?!" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I mean-"

"He'd eat your face." Grey said simply.

...

"I take over the driving if Gnash falls asleep again, I know, I know." Jude remarked, poking his head up from the boat. "Do not look so surprised, Rupert. This mission needs a dose of Christianity."

"Christian. One with good intentions." Ashton recited from memory.

"And horrible results! BURN!" Gnash laughed in the face of the angelic little choir boy experiment.

"That is NOT funny." Jude muttered.

...

"But these…these things just keep coming!"

"I can sense more on the way! So…so many more…" Heartwing called out, shivering in fear.

"Everyone scatter and meet up at the palace! GO-GO-GO!" Chopsuey hollered.


	9. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

I could do it…

No, I can't!

Yes I can-f

NO! You CAN'T. Sheesh, it used to be you never even THOUGHT about killing someone! Beating them over the head with a stick, yes, biting them, yes, but KILLING-

"I can't KILL him, can I?" Rupert mumbled out loud to himself as he and Grey put the final touches on the living room. Grey clenched his fist, then slowly opened it, and a small gust of green energy swirled around him, gently lowering the table back down to the carpeted floor. He then turned to face the alien rodent, blinking.

"Rupert, you're not thinking of killing Stitch, are you?!" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I mean-"

"He'd eat your face." Grey said simply. "First he'd make you eat your own paws, then he'd eat your face and Angel would eat the rest of you."

Rupert immediately quivered at the idea of being Angel's snack. She scared him almost as much as Stitch to tell the truth…

"Anyhow, those two have their problems the same as you. But they love each other, so they're working on changing themselves…even though they kinda keep putting negotiations with Town Hall off and off to…uh…you know…the thing that…that married couples do…"

"Right, right." Rupert mumbled.

"Kokaua Town is usually good with accepting experiments into its citizenry, but there are parts of town that are dangerous for "trogs"…but don't call them that. Really. Don't. So Stitch decided that in order to protect them, he "split", he seceded along with a large portion of the experimental population. They took control of some big territory. It was after Lilo…oh God, I miss her." Grey said sadly.

He suddenly fell to the ground and began bawling. "She was too young! Too young! Stupid medicines, God…God DAMN hospital, you couldn't keep her alive beyond 70!?" He sobbed.

"Grey, please don't cry, it bothers me…" Rupert said sadly. Grey stood up, wiping his eyes as best he could. "Why do you hate the hospital so?"

"Medicine in the modern times has always been a stall for death. Now they just made it easier for people. Almost unimpaired youth until 60 or 70 and then…" He sniffled and wiped his gumdrop-shaped nose. "I know Daveigh misses her too, she and I talk about her all the time. I just remembered, Daveigh will be 12 really, really soon, I think…"

Rupert smiled. "She's going to make some man feel very special one day. She's a wonderful girl, isn't she?"

"She really is…" Grey admitted softly. "Say, speaking of "feeling special", did you ever have any loves of your own?"

Rupert turned pale and slightly green. He immediately looked away, then ran to the bathroom, vomiting in the toilet. He had been nervous already, dredging up that memory from the past had been too much.

"Oh dear…" Grey said sadly as he walked inside the bathroom and put his shoulder on the quivering, hacking hamster's shoulder.

"I had…had this beautiful female…she was named Marian, she was…she was a transfer student…

Marian and I met in the hallways after she'd been introduced to us on our first day of Chemistry class in grade 10. I was amazed at her, she had the most sleekest, shimmering black fur, and sky blue eyes. She had short ears and-and…

I got a nosebleed just by looking at her or talking with her. I approached her in the hallway and introduced myself, and she immediately blushed at me. She was kind of shy…I asked her how she was, where she was from, she said she was from the same planet I was from, from the very same town even, only she lived on the other side…

Well, we bonded at the Library. Our teacher ended up assigning us partners and I got Marian while Jumba and Jacques worked together. Marian and I were so shy, we didn't say anything for half an hour before finally we started collaborating on our project. By the end of the day we'd written five pages of notes and she'd held my hand once when we both reached for an eraser.

I invited her over to my home more and more often, I convinced my family it was for the project, but my grandma and grandpa, they were sly, they saw right through me. They didn't want me associating with her, her parents were…how shall I put this? Journalists. And they'd levied pot shots at my grandparent's underhanded business deals often. But Marian, oh, she…

She didn't care about my family, but she sure did care about me. So we began eating lunch together, I'd kiss her in the hallways as we passed by, I'd go to her house for dinner or I'd take her out…Jumba and Jacques were happy for me, very happy. Especially Jacques. He was proud to see me becoming so responsible and it made him smile to see me so overjoyed when she'd surprise me with flowers in my locker…heh, she sometimes nibbled on the dandelions she sent me…I love dandelions…

But…well…there were predatory students there. A group of them led by this Leonid alien…"

Grey blinked. "A what?"

"A bad, bad kitty named Rei. He had long blond hair and he never combed it, and whenever I saw a glimpse of it and his stupid white headband and red jacket in the halls, I'd bolt. He and his group decided to…to…

Predatory aliens don't usually care about their prey's feelings at all…and my race are…my race are often hunted. They singled her out. One night I was walking her back to her house when they came out of the bushes and they knocked me across the street and kidnapped Marian. I tried to stand up, but I'd almost broken my legs…

I got headed back to my place and performed some emergency surgery on myself. Then I told Jumba and Jacques everything…Jumba was horrified, Jacques was livid. Then…the…the next day…

I encountered Rei and his friends in the hallway along with Jumba and Jacques. My friends to each side, I shouted at Rei in front of everyone in the hallway. "Where is she!? What did you do with Marian!?" I demanded.

Rei sneered and showed off his teeth and he tossed me something. I caught it in my paws, hardly daring to look down, but…

"Here. Keep it. A lucky rabbit's foot. Might do you more luck than it did her." He told me, picking his teeth with a claw.

He'd…he'd…he'd eaten her…

Jumba put his hand on my shoulder as I held Marian's dismembered, bloodied foot to my chest and cried. Jacques held my arm and as he watched Rei and his buddies leave, I could tell he was angry…he tightened his grip on me so hard…"

Rupert took a deep breath.

"My brother hunted them down while they were alone and made them talk. All of them. He strung them up, he had a knife. He told me he twisted a little bit here, a little bit there, take a slice off and make it good and thick…that's the only way to get scum to talk, he told me. And they talked. So he left them there and went after Rei and his two pals.

Rei died last. The other two suffered for quite a while since they'd helped eat Marian. Jacques told me that he cut off their fingers, then he'd cut their stomach open after he'd nailed them down into the floor. He'd set up a trap for them as they entered the kitchen, he'd lured them in with a note. He stuck needles in them to make them paralyzed, but they felt everything, he told me they did, they screamed so loudly…

Rei was last. He began begging, then screaming at the same time as Jacques cut into his wrist and began to saw his hands off. Then he did the feet, then he got to opening Rei's chest open. He and I and Jumba had taken surgery, Jacques had always been very good at it…he opened Rei's chest and made sure to leave the vital organs in before he opened up the stomach…

Then he dripped some poison into Rei's mouth and stepped back. He told me that the "bad kitty" began to convulse and his skin began to quiver all over. White…white foamy stuff began pouring out of his skin as parts of it popped open to allow the foam to pour out. Rei began to shriek, but it was silenced when the blood bubbling up from his throat made that impossible. Jacques then hopped up to the sink and began cleaning his tools, listening to Rei die. It took him ten whole minutes but he did…

Then he came back with the cleaned tools and he disintegrated each and every one of them with a gun before he tossed the ashes down into the toilet. He cleaned up any traces of footprints he might have left. And he killed off Rei's other friends too, for letting Marian get eaten alive. And he told me all of this calmly.

I asked him why he'd done it. He…he said it was because he had to avenge Marian, had to avenge all the other people Rei had hurt and might have hurt if given the time…but mostly he said it was because he hated to see my cry the way I had, and he hadn't felt bad about punishing those that hurt people he loved.

Jacques could be ruthless with people who harmed me. He would feel guilty about hurting an innocent person, he had once accidentally caused a girl to get burns on her arm during a chemistry class accident. He came to her room later to apologize and refused to leave until she let him. Me, I…I couldn't take a life…ever…but I still get that feeling…"

Rupert clenched his paws. "It's like an urge…and urge to lash out at somebody who tries to wish me harm…"

Grey had listened intently, and he had been horrified of what he'd heard. When Rupert had finished, he gently ruffled Rupert's head, and smiled. "Rupert…that's normal. It's just an animal urge, your Bestial side. Everyone has a wild child in them. But you can't give in to your diabolical side."

Rupert looked puzzled. "What?"

"There are two forces that can cause evil actions in you. Your bestial or your diabolical side. If you had to compare them to people, your bestial side would be like a prostitute, and your diabolical side would be a cold-hearted prig. A prostitute's sin is physical, and that's easy enough to be forgiven for, just like lashing out at somebody in anger or rage or sorrow. But Rupert…somebody who gives in to pride, or somebody who plots against another and makes out plans to harm them…somebody who looks down upon others like they're roaches…that's a spiritual sin, and those are the worst of all. Of course, it's better to be neither a whore nor a prig, but if you're forced into giving into one side, DON'T…DON'T go down the diabolical path. That will leave a black stain on your soul that might not ever go away."

Rupert gulped.

"But I don't worry about you, Rupert. You're flawed, yeah, but you have a good heart. And you have the potential to do a lot of good things. You just need to act that."

He smiled and walked out of the bathroom. "I gotta head back home to get some dinner. Aloha!"

Rupert waved back slowly, then surprised himself by smiling a little. "…aloha…" He said softly back.

Ashton, ironically, arrived on the late bus five minutes later. Rupert had been worried sick that he'd be unable to come back home in time, and all this time Ashton had been planning on coming home late. Still…

"Boy, you would NOT believe the day I had." Ashton said. "The teacher pulled a pop quiz on us, but me and Daveigh smoked it. The Man can't keep US down…even if the Man is a Wo-Man."

"Ashton, um…I have to tell you something…" Rupert said as he sat down on a nearby chair, rubbing his temples.

"What?" Ashton asked, taking his backpack off and putting it down by the couch. Sitting down, he pulled his water bottle from his backpack and took a couple sips. "Mmm, green tea! Want some? It's good for-"

"No thank you, I…I got in trouble today, Ashton…a lot of trouble."

Rupert explained what had happened to Ashton. Every detail, every moment. When he'd finished, he sighed and turned to look at the kid.

"So that's what's happening. I leave tomorrow for Niihau and I wanted to tell you because I need you to cover for me." Rupert explained. "I need you to back me up on a convincing lie that tomorrow there will be a field trip for your class. I'll say I'm coming along to keep an eye on you, and they'll believe me if you help me. Then when you come back home from the "trip" they'll ask why I'm not there, and you can say that I got lost but that I know the way back."

Ashton had taken all of it in, and was a little surprised to hear that Rupert had gotten himself into all this trouble. But when Rupert got to the part about going to Niihau his eyes lit up secretly.

"Alright." Ashton said, smiling. "I can back you up, Dr. Rupert. We can totally con my parents…but we'll need to make sure they do one thing…"

THAT NIGHT…

"Hello, Mrs. Pelekai?"

Marx Edmonds had picked up the phone and was talking to Mrs. Pelekai to confirm what Rupert and Ashton had told him.

"Yes, I want to know if there's going to be an all-day-oh? Your daughter told you already? So there IS one? Alright, thank you! That's a big help. Say hi to her for me."

Marx hung up the phone and turned to Rupert and Ashton, who had been crossing their respective fingers. (Although Rupert didn't have "fingers"…)

"It's alright with me for you to go on this field trip. Take good care, alright?" He told Ashton, ruffling his hair.

"I will, dad!" Ashton said.

Marx beamed. His son had finally called him "Dad".

THE NEXT DAY…

Rupert had once again been driven to a destination by none other than Grey himself. This time though, he'd taken a normal car. David and Bellatrix sat on either side of Rupert while Grey drove the car and Sandy, with Daveigh on his lap, headed for the beach.

"Mind if I put on some tunes?" Sandy asked.

"Sorry, it's distracting." Grey apologized. "I need to focus on, **WOAAAAH**!"

He slowed and stopped the car quickly. Everyone looked angrily at him. "The h-ll, man!?" David asked.

"Squirrel." He said, pointing at the grey squirrel that had halted in the middle of the road. It squeaked, then ran off.

"No problem!" Grey shouted to it.

Sandy turned to look at Rupert. "What the heck just happened between Captain Crazy and the squirrel?"

"It said "d—n decent of you" to him." Rupert said. "I can understand that dialect easily."

Grey smiled. "Okay boys and girls, quick reminder: NO DISTRACTING THE DRIVER, alright?" He got the car moving again and they headed down the road. "Now Rupert, listen, Ark is a very special human, a very special kid. Don't make fun of him, alright?"

"I wouldn't do that!" Rupert said, putting his paw on his chest. "I'm a very civilized human being."

"That's not what I heard, ya punk ass-" Sandy snickered.

Daveigh turned to him, frowning. "No swearing!"

"Yeah!" Grey agreed enthusiastically. "And could you two try and get along?"

"Humph." Sandy mumbled.

"…harrumph." Rupert grumbled.

"Good enough. Now here we are! Hanalei Beach-oh GOD, CHOPSUEY!" Nick stopped the car and hopped out. Ol "Chops" and his wife, along with a 14-year-old Asiatic boy with long blue hair were standing by a large waveboat that was parked at the beach.

"Scratchy boy, you have GOT to stop that habit!" Grey groaned. "How many have you had?!"

"Five." Experiment 621 said, scratching his stomach.

"He wouldn't leesen to me, babe." Carmen groaned.

"That stuff mucks up your lungs, ya know!" Grey growled.

The others hopped out of the car. From the boat a familiar-looking little green dragon waved. "Hiyah!" He exclaimed.

"HE'S not driving, is he?" Rupert asked.

"No, as much as I don't want to disrespect his skills in battle, he's not good at driving. He'd stop the boat too often to look at the fishies and the dolphins."

"Who IS driving?"

"Get in the boat already, people!" A voice called out. It had a faint Indian accent. Rupert turned his head to see a pink experiment with a red dot on the middle of his forehead. He had rounded "quills" running down his back, and an elephantine face. He had pretty green eyes and thick fingers, and most interestingly, strange designs running up and down his body…tattoos.

"That's Gnash. He's gonna be our driver. He's able to generate wind blasts like his mother, and he has some psychic power that he inherited from his father, a very nice chap from India." Chopsuey explained. "He's…well, he and Phoon are no longer with us, they died about ten years ago…"

"That d—n, d—n hospital…" Grey swore.

"Why don't they just tear it down if it keeps killing people?!" Rupert asked.

"It's a long, complicated story. The short of it is that today one out of every ten patients who are admitted to a hospital die. We just happen to have close friends who…who are that one out of ten…" David mumbled sadly.

"Get in, get in, we must leave nice and early!" Gnash stated. "Oh, what is it, Heartwing?"

Heartwing pointed at the car and bounced up and down, up and down. "Someone's hiding, someone's hiding! I can sense his dimmed light!"

Rupert walked to the trunk of the car and unlocked it…

"ASHTON?!" He exclaimed.

"Take me with you!" Ashton demanded. "I know karate, I brought my dad's gun!" He held up a smooth, rounded-end pistol of hard metal and waved it in the air. Everyone ducked.

"WATCH IT!" Grey shouted.

"Please take me with you! I want to prove I can be brave! And if I help bring peace and stuff, then people might stop trying to bring me down!" Ashton begged.

"Chops" shrugged. "Well, okay. I don't mind. We'll have lots of protection. But Rupert, listen…"

He walked over and put his clawed hand on Rupert's shoulder, whispering intently into his ear. "My brother trusts me to do this, and he cares deeply about Lilo's granddaughter. You, Sandy and Grey are to protect her, Ark and Ashton with your LIVES." He dug his claws in slightly, making Rupert wince.

"Do we have an understanding?" Chopsuey whispered.

"Y-yes…" Rupert squeaked.

"Good." He let go of Rupert. "Now, everyone into the boat! Remember Mr.Kauā, you take over the driving if Gnash-"

"I take over the driving if Gnash falls asleep again, I know, I know." Jude remarked, poking his head up from the boat. "Do not look so surprised, Rupert. This mission needs a dose of Christianity."

"Christian. One with good intentions." Ashton recited from memory.

"And horrible results! BURN!" Gnash laughed in the face of the angelic little choir boy experiment.

"That is NOT funny." Jude muttered.

"Hold up! Rupert, take my hand!" Grey said, stretching out his hand.

Rupert took it, looking nervous. "Why?"

"You know I can fly, right? So the question now becomes…"

Grey grinned and sang out the next words that came from his mouth. "Can you take me higher!?"

The white aura swept around the two like a twisting wind of pearls, and they rose higher and higher into the air. Finally they took off through the air like a rocket, soaring above the ocean as the boat whizzed below. Rupert clung to Grey's body like it was like he was a lifejacket, whimpering and closing his eyes. Then Grey tapped his shoulder with one claw.

"Hey…look down." Grey told him softly.

Rupert slowly opened his eyes, then gasped at the sight. It was…it was just so beautiful. The sun was reflecting off the ocean below as they passed over the ocean waves, one after another. The reflection shone brightly over the clear, rippling water and as Rupert looked around, he realized how bright and blue the sky was, with dark and light shades contrasting together, one below, one above. The soft clouds puffed on by just over them and as he looked back, he noticed the island of Kauai…twinkling like a little green gem on the sea. And fast approaching was Niihau. It's white beaches stretched out, running across the edges of the island, and small bunches of clumped-together trees littered the plains far beyond a dense forest. As Rupert peered closer, he noticed large flowers poking through the other flora, glinting in the light, scattered around the island like they had been sprinkled all over.

"It's…it's beautiful…" Rupert whispered. "It's just so beautiful…"

"It is…" Grey said, smiling. "Isn't it?"

Down on the boat, Daveigh was sitting next to Sandy, who was chatting away with her about important issues that faced the nation.

"So…bubble gum or cotton candy?" Sandy wanted to know, lowering his sunglasses and raising one eyebrow.

"Why choose one over the other?" Daveigh asked, shrugging.

"Now THAT'S the kind of answer I love to hear!" Sandy said, holding up a pack of "Cotton Candy Bubble Gum Airheads".

"Please do not distract the driver!" Gnash called out. "We are approaching the main beach and it appears as if we have company!"

"Who's there?" Chops asked.

David peered out over the ocean, then blinked. His eyes became dark blue as they extended slightly from their sockets.

"…It's KUKO…and that friggin' Peleka!" David mumbled. "And they've got a bunch about five other experiments there…"

"Well do they look-" Carmen began to ask.

"They're all dressed up, if that's what you mean. Jumpsuits and everything." David stated.

"Heartwing, what about you?" Chopsuey asked, turning to the dragon. "Do you sense any evil intent from them?"

Heartwing closed his eyes and began to focus. Then suddenly he gasped, and shook his head rapidly.

"Can't…can't feel anything, great power…great power has blocked me…"

"Your son, Senkoukura, I assume." Ark stated. "He's obviously become very strong…"

"Not my son." Heartwing said sadly. "Wanted him to be mine. Tried to make him mine. But he is not mine. His ways too dark. Not my son."

The boat reached the shore of the beach as Rupert and Grey floated down to join the others. An experiment with a pot belly was standing next to a total BABE of an experiment.

"She's a T-R-O-G!" Grey whispered to Rupert.

"A troglodyte?"

"No, no! I mean she's a Tasty Red and Orange Girl!"

The experiment had a butt that was well-sculpted and firm like mutton, and her breasts were visibly plump, matching Carmen's in size. She had red fur that was well-groomed and a light orange belly/chest, which was visible due to the fact that her smooth pink jumpsuit had a large "x" space on the front.

"Peleka and Kuko, there are-"

"Godfather Grey!" Peleka called out, her voice sweet and syrupy. "How great to see you! We didn't know you would be coming along with the others! What a nice surprise!"

"Rupert, your nose is bleeding."

A nearby experiment that resembled a green, flying reptilian/like creature with dark sunglasses over her eyes and brown hair approached, pulling out some Kleenex from her tanned jacket. She handed it over to Rupert, who stuffed his nose up.

"Sowwy…" He mumbled.

"It's fine, really." Another experiment said. It had a large spotlight on the bottom of its tail, and a large grin that revealed bright blue teeth that contrasted sharply with her orange, furry body.

"Yeah, we're all friends here." Another experiment stated. It had a hairy yellow body and bright blue eyes, and long fingers. He picked his nose and grunted slightly like the monkey he was, then turned to Kuko. "Should we get moving?"

"Absolutely." Kuko stated, voice rumbling slightly. "This way, please…"

The Peace Delegates walked down a long forest path past many bushes filled with flowers, trees and several extremely naked and nice-looking experiments. It was a plethora of life, to be sure, and Peleka and Kuko kept talking about it. Finally…

"Overall, it's quite impressive, isn't it? This entire area used to be nothing more than plains, and we have turned it into our own Garden of Eden! You could practically eat off of the ground...I do it all the time! Which reminds me, remember that big picnic we had back when I was 9? Good times, good times...oh, if only Dad were here to see how well I am doing." Kuko ended. He plucked a large pineapple off of a nearby tree and took a large bite out of it.

"How IS Daddy dearest?" Peleka asked.

"Wishing you'd stop this foolishness and come home. Please." Grey pleaded.

"He awaits the return of the prodigal son and daughter. Even if you've made yourself up like the Whore of Bablyon, Peleka." Jude remarked sadly.

"Can we visit later?" Gnash asked. "I would like to know if your lord is actually willing to hear us out or if he will just try and cook us up!"

"I'm offended! Really! We're not savages!" Kuko remarked, putting one of his thick hands to his chest in protest.

"Pile of bones one mile back." Heartwing said stonily.

"…chicken bones?" Kuko offered weakly.

"Too big." Heartwing said, his teeth grinding.

Then finally Rupert noticed that Daveigh was right in front of him, and Sandy was in front of her. He looked behind him and saw that Grey was looking around, blinking very quickly and huffing slightly. Something was bothering him. That something was Peleka. She kept on trying to put the moves on her godfather, much to his disgust.

"You sure you don't wanna talk a little?"

"I'm sure." Grey muttered.

"How about we talk later? Oh, we'll need to exchange phone numbers. Or emails…"

"EW. Uncle Chops, you smell of-" Kuko began.

"I know, I know. I only took six…"

"You told me it was FIVE." Grey moaned.

"Is there something in the Bible about taking too many drugs?"

"Well, actually-" Jude began.

"Wait, how are you even…well…HERE? Didn't experiment 620 join the priesthood?" Rupert asked.

Jude nodded. "He did, he did."

"Then how did…how exactly-"

"Cardinal Page fathered a child. Me." Jude explained, smiling a little. "My mother, Crystallene, loved my father very much, and he her. But he also had a duty to God. Still, they wished to consummate their love somehow, so…"

"So Praise God for in-vitro fertilization!" Chopsuey laughed.

"Normally it wouldn't have been approved, but…" Jude smiled. "Pope Benedict personally allowed it. We were all overjoyed."

"Pope Benedict had been very generous with us…" Carmen admitted. "He was wonderful man. He gave the world the first saint of experiments, Saint Ribera, who was canonized right at Hanalei River! Ooh, and he was amazing man, AMAZING."

"What did he do?" Rupert asked Jude.

"Well he was a devoted to promoting peace between humans and our kind. He also converted many of us to Catholicism, created great works of art…"

"He was designed to be the ultimate artist. Doctor Stefan created him. Ribera was so kind and generous he sold every single piece of artwork and donated the profits to charities around the globe."

"Which is why Africa's only about half as poor as it used to be." Grey said happily.

"El santo de la ribera del río era una persona increíble. Fue bendecido." Carmen agreed.

"…uh…right…" Rupert stated, not completely understanding everything she had just said to him.

Then Ark stiffened. He pointed to his left. "AMBUSH!" He shouted.

Kuko snarled. Peleka groaned. "They figured it out!"

A large group of experiments leapt out at the delegates as they clumped together. Kuko showed off his big grin. "Sure, our lord will listen to your pleas…if you can reach his palace in the center of the island. Good luck!" With that, he clenched his fist and a large, smooth bowl of earth rose up from beneath him and Peleka. Then they skidded away through the forest, laughing as the ambush party advanced.

"Ark, their heads!" Daveigh called out.

Ark nodded and jumped into the air, kicking a nearby coconut off of a tree. It sailed through the air at incredible speed and velocity, striking another nearby tree and tearing through it's base, sending it crashing down on the ambush party. A large group of them had dodged away though.

Bellatrix stepped forward, and crouched down slightly, thrusting her head forward and letting out a loud banshee wail. Sonic waves burst out from her mouth and as she hit a higher note they became freezing, chilling the experiments to the bone and making them freeze over on the spot. David meanwhile, raised his hands and snapped his fingers. Two other arms popped out of his body and he raised all of his hands at the other, unfrozen experiments, sending them flying back with telekinesis.

Gnash raised his trunk and began blowing back more experiments that surged up from the north to overwhelm the party. Then one of them knocked him over the head with a rifle and grinned as he jammed it into the elephantine experiment's neck.

"Yer dead meat now, boy!" The gunner snickered.

Gnash looked at him with one eye, snarling. A vein popped on his forehead, and then the experiment was sent reeling back, clutching his head. "AAA! Get out of my head you dirty little-"

Gnash stood up, grabbing the rifle and aiming it's sniper sight beam at the gunner. "Oh _look_, now you have a red dot JUST LIKE ME. **GET LOST.**" He sneered. The gunner howled in horror and took off running.

Jude raised his hands and grabbed an experiment that had thrown a punch. He blinked heavily and suddenly the experiment was reduced to a crystalline statue. Jude ducked and grabbed another, blinking once more, turning him into another statue.

621's moved almost like he was sleeping, yet the others still couldn't hold a candle to him. He was lost in a drugged-up rage as his claws tore through flesh and he howled in triumph over the natives he had downed.

Carmen had just lost it as well. She had mutated into her larger, more wild form, and now towered above the others, crushing any attackers beneath her hands.

Ark was AMAZING. He whizzed through the air, feet flying. KA-THWKA, KA-THWKA, one by one hulking brutes were toppled. And Daveigh was telling him all of their weak spots!

"How do you know so much?" Rupert asked, jumping on top of a charging, rhino-like experiment who had thrown a punch.

"Bite him just behind his ear!"

CHOMP!

"YOU LITTLE-" The furious experiment pawed at Rupert, who jumped on top of his head.

"OTHER ear!" Daveigh yelled.

CHOMP!

The rhino went down hard. Rupert leapt off as Daveigh beamed. "I spend tons and tons of time looking up experimental design specifications off of Jumba's old computer while doing cross-checking reference with other famous experiments. Once I recognize the basic designs of whatever we're fighting, it's easy enough for me to figure out their weak points-thatguycomingbehindyouhasabadleftknee!" She yelled out.

Rupert turned around quickly and did a fast punch. A hulking, mouse-like experiment with over-sized ears and big red eyes grabbed his knee and fell to the ground, wailing in pain.

"Mahalo!" Rupert said. "But these…these things just keep coming!"

"I can sense more on the way! So…so many more…" Heartwing called out, shivering in fear.

"Everyone scatter and meet up at the palace! GO-GO-GO!" Chopsuey hollered.

Rupert grabbed onto Daveigh's hand while Grey grabbed Ark and Heartwing took Ashton. The two of them bolted away as the others fought against the ambush party. But as bush after bush passed between the two running twosomes, eventually Rupert noticed that…

Grey and Ark had veered off somewhere. They were gone. He was left alone with Daveigh.

Rupert looked around as a bird called out. The sun beamed down through the thick leaves of the trees and some bushed far away rustled. Daveigh looked at him.

"Are you scared?" She asked quietly.

"…a little." Rupert admitted. "A little."

The two of them slowly walked through the forest. Daveigh pointed at the sun. "Judging from it's position, THAT way…" She pointed slightly to the left. "That's north. If we go from where we are, we ought to hit the path again, then we can just follow it back to the center of the island."

"Right, good idea." Rupert said.

The two brushed past several bushes, knocking tree branches aside as they walked on and on and on. And eventually, boredom set in, so…

"So what did you ever have anybody special in your life, Dr. Hamsterviel?"

"Please, just call me Rupert." Rupert stated. "And yes, I…I…" He bit his lip, trying to hold the bile back. "I did once, but…she…she's dead. For…for quite some time…"

"Well you seem really alone inside…" Daveigh said. "I think you need somebody to care for you."

Rupert turned to her. "Huh?"

"You're JUST like 627. He needs people to care about him and he needs to care about others. It was a good thing that he finally found love. Love is just amazing, you know? It's all ya need!" She smiled.

"Love is all you need, eh?" Rupert asked.

"Yep! I'm a Beatles fan." She admitted. "I love Elvis a lot, but first and foremost I'm a Beatles fan."

"The who? Insects? You like bugs?" Rupert asked, looking confused.

"Well I do like bugs, but no, I mean The Beatles. B-E-A-T-L-E-S."

Rupert just blinked stupidly. "Never heard of them." He admitted.

"But they were bigger than Jesus!" She exclaimed, throwing up her hands.

"So…they were giants?" Rupert asked.

Daveigh laughed slightly, her black hair bouncing on her back. "Ha, ha, ha, ha! No, silly! I mean everyone had heard of them! Anyhow, don't worry." She told him, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "One day you'll find that special someone…"

"Yes, yes, and I'll say "I want you to be mine"." Rupert said, nodding his head.

"No, no, too possessive!" Daveigh said as they walked into a large clearing. It had pink flowers situated all around, and palm trees lined the clearing. "You've got to say it in a really SPECIAL way. When you see a girl, tell her this…"

She took a deep breath, then breathed out. Then she took another breath, and then began.

"Oh I'll…tell you something…I think you'll understand. When I…say that something…I wanna hold your haaaaaaaand…"

She then held "Hammy's" hand gently, squeezing it slightly. "I wanna hold your haaaa-aaaand…I wanna hold your hand…"

She then walked back, towards the center of the clearing.

"Then you gotta say…"

Then she turned around, spinning lightly as the light cascaded through the trees.

She smiled. "Oh please…say to me…you'll let me be your…man…and please…saaay to me…you'll let me your haaaaand…"

Rupert suddenly froze. He could a guitar being strummed gently suddenly, the melody weaving through his ears. His mouth opened slightly as he watched Daveigh raise her hands up to the sky, head tilting back slightly as she sang out.

"Now let me your haaaand…I wanna hold your haaaand…"

She then turned around and clasped her hands together, holding them to her chest. "Now you say this, and be SINCERE…"

She took a deep breath.

"Girl, when I touch you, I feel happy…inside…it's such a feeling that my…love…I can't hide…"

The guitar began to strum louder and louder as Rupert's heart beat like a drum in his ears, louder and louder, everything became louder and louder.

"I can't hide…"

The wind began to pick up, letting Daveigh's bright green t-shirt whip slightly in the air. The white floral designs upon it ruffled slightly as her red shorts lifted up just a liiiitle bit. He hair flowed around her in the wind.

"I can't hiiiide!"

Rupert was utterly amazed. He couldn't move, couldn't speak.

"Remember to say this…she's got that something…you think she'll understand…and when you…feel that something…you'll wanna hold her haaaaand!"

She walked over to Rupert and held his hand gently.

"I wanna hold your haaaaand…"

The pink flowers were lifted up from the grass by the wind and twirled around them like a large halo, a flurry of dancing little pink petals as the music reached its highest peak.

"I wanna hold your haaand…"

And then the wind settled down, and the petals floated down from the air.

"I wanna hold your hand…" Rupert finished, singing out the line softly.

"Right." Daveigh said, smiling. "Just like that."

She was so magical. It was like she was the daughter he'd never had and had always wanted.

"That was quite beautiful! I liked it." A new voice spoke out from above.

They turned their heads and saw somebody lowering his body down from the sky, a small, gentle smile upon his face. He had triangular-styled ears that hung down from his head. He had fairly long, strong legs with three thick taloned toes and sharp claws. He had pearly white fur on his body and a silver belly, and green symbols ran up and down his arms and legs, pale in the light. They glowed brightly as he lowered himself down to the ground and the glow faded as they stepped onto the grass. He had a rounded silver nose and beautiful golden eyes. He wore a blue headband around his head with a strange symbol on the front and with his voice, his eyes and beautiful fur combined, he was really quite beautifully handsome.

"I am Makani, Avatar of Air." Makani spoke, bowing gently. "You must be Daveigh and Hamsterviel…this means that you must die." He said solemnly. "As is my duty, I must fight and end you. You shall not live to see the next day."

**Author's Note: **

**WOW, that was a pretty long chapter. And scarier still, it's exactly 6666 words, not including this note of course! God, please don't strike me down! And guess what? I'm gonna leave the floor open for some debate: Is there something wrong with Grey? The descendant of Ovni? Simply eccentric? Insane? Or something else? Go ahead and send in your guesses! **

**Sneak preview time again! **

_"Why are you making this difficult?" He asked in that attractive voice of his, walking towards her. "Foolish little human…you want to die in pain, is that truly your desire? I am trying to make it easy for you…"_

_She felt him lift her up by the back of her shirt and felt his breath on her neck. "This isn't going to be painful. I'm sorry I can't make it more pleasant…"_

_..._

_"Let him go or…" Ashton trailed off._

_"Oh relax, kiddie. I have no intention of harming him…" She grinned a pressed a red button on the hilt in her clawed hand, and a sleek plasma blade grew slowly from the top, glowing a pale blue in the light. "…YET…"_

_..._

_"I'm the King of Experiment Hell! Good thing I dragged you away from Limbo soon enough or you might have returned to your body…we can't have THAT happening, can we?" The experiment laughed. For some odd reason, Rupert couldn't help but think back to that movie he'd seen with Myrtle some time ago, during a "Ultimate Action Movie Marathon" they'd watched together. What had the movie been called-OHHH, 300! Right! And the Spartan king, Leonidas…_

_"You sound like-"_

_"Leonidas from 300? That's what EVERYONE says." The experiment complained. "Anyhow, you're down here in Hell while you're comatose and I get to torture and break you and turn you into a monster, since I doubt you'll be able to help me out by turning to evil on your own."_


	10. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

Makani advanced, clawed hands hanging loosely by his side. "Are you going to scream? Beg? Plead, perhaps?"

"Don't you dare harm her." Rupert growled. "Don't even lay a FINGER on her!" He said, grabbing a nearby stick and waving it in front of him.

"Foolish, foolish, foolish." Makani spoke, raising his hand. His tattoos glowed, and the stick suddenly burst into pieces, much to Rupert's surprise. "Don't you realize my power?"

Rupert grabbed a rock and threw it hard, it wasn't off course, it flew right towards the white experiment's head…but then the tattoos glowed again, and the rock just bounced off of…well, NOTHING! But it didn't hit Makani, it simply fell to the ground.

"What on Ear-AAA!" Rupert was suddenly grabbed by the experiment and tossed aside as Makani advanced on Daveigh.

"This may come as little comfort, but I don't enjoy hurting children." Makani stated. "Now then…"

Daveigh suddenly ducked just as he tried to grab her, then grabbed his arm. He was too surprised to fight back as she suddenly threw him to the ground, then ran at Rupert, helping him up.

"Rupert, come on, we gotta get-"

"Going? I'm afraid not." Makani stated, raising his hand. Two large, thick tree branches were torn from the trees and fell down. Makani jumped up and grabbed them, then dove at the human and the hamster. Before they could turn and run, he'd tied them up with the branches and was now dragging them to the center of the clearing. "You have no idea what my power is, do you…otherwise you'd be begging for mercy. Allow me to show you."

He lifted Daveigh's chin as he crouched down, then pointed with one claw at a nearby squirrel that was climbing through the trees. "Observe." He stated.

His tattoos glowed again, and the squirrel suddenly began to…expand. It began to cough and hack, the grey fur standing on its end as it squealed in pain.

"No, no! Stop!" Rupert begged. He was horrified to see a fellow rodent treated like that.

The squirrel was now inflated to the size of a basketball, and it was screaming horribly.

"Stop! Please! PLEASE!" Daveigh cried out. This was too much for her, it was so scary, so WRONG…

"I'm afraid that you are going to have to watch this. Now…" He clenched his fist and the squirrel finally exploded in a pulpy burst of guts, fur, muscle and fat. Daveigh screamed in horror. "Do you understand my power now?" He asked Rupert, who blinked slowly, brow furrowed in fury and fear.

"You're…you're able to manipulate air pressure…"

"Yes...quite an impressive power indeed. But enough of this…I have to end the girl's life. Don't worry little Daveigh." Makani said coolly. "I won't do that to you. I'll just suffocate you with a pillow of compressed air."

He held his hand up and moved it towards her mouth. She could feel the pressure of invisible force upon her mouth, cutting off her air. She squirmed away, kicking Makani back. He panted as he held his stomach and Daveigh fell to the ground, trying to crawl away.

"Why are you making this difficult?" He asked in that attractive voice of his, walking towards her. "Foolish little human…you want to die in pain, is that truly your desire? I am trying to make it easy for you…"

She felt him lift her up by the back of her shirt and felt his breath on her neck. "This isn't going to be painful. I'm sorry I can't make it more pleasant…"

Suddenly Makani screamed and looked down. Rupert had bitten into his leg with his teeth.

"LEAVE…HER…**ALONE**!!" He snarled, with pale blue blood seeping down from the wound. "You COWARD!"

Makani's eyes narrowed. He dropped Daveigh and grabbed Rupert, holding him up.

"A coward?! Did you just call me a coward? I am many things. Cowardly is not one of them!" He tossed Rupert to the ground, snapping the tree branch bindings off. "I will give you a chance to save the girl."

Rupert blinked as Makani raised his claws. "If you can get one cut, one scratch, one bit of blood to fall from my body, I will let the girl go and allow her to leave in peace. Do we have a deal?"

Rupert knew this was the only chance he was going to get. "Alright. That's sounds good enough for me."

"Good." Makani said, grinning. He raised his hand slightly. "Now I won't even use my powers. But be warned: I am not going to hold back, even if you're middle-aged and-"

"Hey, I'm only 40! Well, I will be in…" Rupert did some quick calculation in his head. "Three months."

"Well you're not going to celebrate that birthday…" Makani stated, rushing forward.

ELSEWHERE…

"Hey…Uncle Chops …"

"What is it?"

Chopsuey and Carmen were sticking together with Gnash, Bellatrix and David. Bellatrix had popped a question.

"Dad was talking about old flames last night, he mentioned you and…well, he talked about how you once…you once had a thing for Bonnie, right?"

Chopsuey stopped in place. Carmen looked at him, intensely, almost.

"…you two seem to be pretty close, from what I heard. What made you chose Carmen over Bonnie?"

"Well…Bonnie was never boring." Chopsuey admitted, laughing a little. "But Bonnie and I have always been friends and we kept it like that. I mean…"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "You spend so much time with someone you think of as like your brother, and then you remember that you hate your brother…" He said softly. "It just…didn't work out. But Clyde was always there at the end of the day, for all his faults. And Carmen, she and I…we knew from the moment we met each other we'd have something special…"

Carmen kissed him on the cheek. He turned slightly red.

"You always know the right thing to say. Abrácame!" She said.

Chopsuey hugged her on the spot.

Gnash sniffled. "I…I must not cry…you cannot make me cry…"

Meanwhile, Grey was panting heavily. He and Ark had been running for the center of the island for quite some time now, but now they had to stop and rest. They sat down on nearby tree stumps and breathed deeply. Grey was lying on his back, tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth.

"You…gonna…be…alright?" He managed to ask Ark.

"I…suppose…" Ark hacked out in between harsh breaths. "Just…just give me…give me a minute…"

Grey took some deep breaths as he looked up at the sky.

"…it's…it's actually really pretty…" He remarked.

"I'm…I'm kind of impressed…with you, sir…" Ark said. "Be…be…being able to-to look at the sky at a time like this…"

"The sky is blue and clear…and…and there's green life all around us. Most of all, we're all together, even if...even if we're scattered. It's not…it's not like this place is Hell!" Grey laughed. He hacked a little phlegm out, then smiled.

"You know sir…a lot of…a lot of people think you're crazy." Ark admitted.

"And a lot of people say that you're…you know..." Grey said back.

"Is...is there something wrong with that?" Ark asked, a little bit offended.

"No. And there's nothing wrong with crazy. Crazy is good." Grey told the kid, letting a smile pass over his face.

Sandy Pelekai suddenly emerged from the bushes, groaning in pain, clutching his bleeding chest. He fell to the ground. Ark and Grey ran over to him, helping him up.

"Sandy? Wh-what on Earth-?"

"Kuko…Kuko's trying to k-kill me…" He got out.

Kuko emerged from the bushes, one large fist clenched and holding onto an axe made out of stone and earth. He licked the axe free of blood, a sick grin apparent on his face. There were several dead squirrels hanging from his belt, fresh catches.

"Hmm. Salt is good for you." He snickered.

"You're sick. You need help." Grey said, getting to his feet as Ark helped Sandy away and out of the line of fire. "You need to stop listening to Sen-"

"I'm not doing this for him. I'm doing this for me." Kuko snarled. He ripped a squirrel off from his belt and crunched it down with big mouthfuls, spitting out the tail. "Move aside, dear godfather!"

Kuko clenched his fist and the earth shot up from below Grey, sending him flying through the air. He hit a tree branch and groaned in pain, flopping in the breeze. He was too tired and weary to move.

Ark tried to run away with Sandy slung over his shoulder, but a quick fist of grass and earth rose up from the ground and punched Ark clear in the stomach. He fell to the ground, puking, groaning horribly as Kuko calmly walked over and lifted Sandy up by his neck.

"You turned father against me, didn't you!? What did you say to him!?" He asked angrily, chewing on another squirrel in between sentences.

"Dad loves you, Kuko, you and Peleka…he just wants you two to come back home…" Sandy said, gritting his teeth in pain.

"LIAR!" Kuko snarled, punching Sandy across the face. "Father always loved you more over us!"

"No, he didn't, he-"

Kuko tossed Sandy down hard on the ground, then stomped on his back. Sandy howled in pain and dug into the ground. "Brother, stop! Please!" He begged.

"You turned him against us! Both of us!"

"NO! NO!" Sandy howled as Kuko's foot clenched in deeply. "Brother, PLEASE! Stop this and let Ark and Daveigh off the island!"

Now Kuko stopped. He was puzzled. "You…you want us to let the humans GO? Why?"

"Because I care about them…they're innocent. Hate me if you want but let them go."

"No. I won't. In fact…"

He walked over to Ark and licked his lips as he picked the youth up from the ground. "I was in the mood for some Chinese food…"

"Stop…please…" Sandy begged, stretching out his arm at his brother as he crawled towards him.

"You want me to stop? Why should I?!" Kuko asked.

"Hurting…humans…is wrong…you…your culture prides itself on being…on being better? On being more advanced? You're…you're just savages…the only difference between you and…and some spear-chucking ancient Hawaiian…is that you kill better than they do…and you have more things to kill with…"

Kuko sneered. "Big words, brother. But that's all they are. Now I'm gonna make you watch this."

But before he could do anything to Ark, the kid took matters into his own hands. He put both of his hands on the arm that gripped him and twisted in the middle, hard. Kuko screamed as he gripped his arm in pain, then snarled as he advanced on Ark, spikes of earth rising around him.

"I'm gonna skewer you in 50 different places and mail a piece to every single state! And then I'll get to eat you to death, you little-"

Suddenly he was grabbed from behind. Sandy had gotten up and was now crushing his brother's windpipe.

"How could you, Kuko? Dad loves you and Peleka. He only wanted you to come back home."

Kuko tried to bite his way free, but to no avail., Sandy kept his grip tight. And Ark then punched the fat experiment over and over in the stomach and chest, whittling down his health slowly. Sandy closed his eyes as he continued, his voice breaking as his grip became tighter and Kuko's breathing became worse and worse.

"I tried to love and care for you, I honestly did. You were my big little brother, Kuko…and now you've forced me to do this to you...to kill my own brother…"

"Don't…do it…" Grey whispered.

Sandy turned his head. Grey had fallen from the branch and was staggering up like he was not merely drunk, but also punched in the head eight times.

"Don't…kill him…he's…he's still _ohana_…"

Sandy looked from him to Kuko, then nodded and let his brother go. Kuko fell to the ground, unconscious.

"We…we gotta get moving…" Grey mumbled. "Can…can you guys help me? I…I can barely see straight…"

Ark and Sandy walked over to him, and they eased his arms onto their shoulders, carrying him through the forest, heading for the palace once more. Kuko remained behind, groaning in his sleep.

Grey laughed. "You sure kicked his shiny hiney, Sandy!"

"I can't believe you can laugh at a time like this."

"Well…it's not like this place is Hell." Ark said, smiling at Grey, who smiled back.

Meanwhile, quite some distance away…

The little dragon and the human finally stopped, coming to a halt by a large, thick tree. Heartwing was only slightly tired, but Ashton had collapsed on the ground, utterly unable to keep moving.

"Gotta…catch my breath…" He wheezed out.

"We're close. I can sense him." Heartwing stated. "Senkoukura is close. That way." He pointed to the right, across from the tree.

"Good…we…can…go there in a sec, I just…just need to rest for a moment…"

Heartwing knelt by Ashton and helped him up against the tree, placing his clawed hands gently onto the boy's chest. He began to hum, and a white aura seeped out from his body, embracing Ashton as sweetly as a mother embraced her child before bed. Then it dissipated, and Ashton began breathing normally.

"Alright?" Heartwing asked the human.

"Y-yes…" Ashton gasped out. "I'm…I'm feeling better now…" He began to stand up. Then he noticed something falling through the air…at the little dragon's neck. It struck Heartwing and he let out a cry of pain, grabbing the back of his neck as something seeped into his skin. He mumbled and stumbled back, grabbing his head.

"So cold-cold-cold-cold…" Heartwing gasped.

Then suddenly Peleka showed her cute and tasty little face, grabbing Heartwing after emerging quickly from behind a nearby bush. She grabbed him from behind and held him close to her, raising the hilt of a knife. "Why HELLO there, amighty dragon! Why don't you just sit down and rest for a while?"

"Let him go or…" Ashton trailed off.

"Oh relax, kiddie. I have no intention of harming him…" She grinned a pressed a red button on the hilt in her clawed hand, and a sleek plasma blade grew slowly from the top, glowing a pale blue in the light. "…YET…"

"Let him go! Don't you hate humans? **I'm** the one you want to hurt!" Ashton said angrily, clenching his fist.

"Ah, but that's no fun. I know that you would feel just AWFUL if the cute widdle dwaggy that saved yowh wife were to go and DIE!" She sang out in a cutesy manner. "And a death by inches too…once slice at a time…"

"Don't you even-" Ashton took a step forward, drawing his gun. "I don't have any problems beating up b—ches like you! So step off!"

"Beatnik brat." Peleka snapped. "I'll get to you in a second." She promptly hocked a loogie at him and with a "PTOOAGH" purple snot mixed with saliva struck him in the chest, seeping into his clothes. He screamed in pain as his body seemed to get on fire…then it numbed up and he collapsed on the ground.

"Can't move, can you? You see, I'm Peleka of Poison. I can put people to sleep, knock them into comas, and of course, my favorite…the classic, slow-killing poison…"

She gasped in mock surprise and flicked the knife in the air slightly.

"And look what I have here? A knife to coat it with!"

Ashton staggered back up. He couldn't feel really feel anything, but he had to try and save Heartwing. Peleka observed this attempted act of heroism with obvious disdain.

"How utterly stupid. You're such a moron, kid. You don't get it; you're dead, D-E-A-D. That poison begins by numbing you. Then it will paralyze you. Then I get to kill you. It's too bad you won't get to see my master."

She tossed Heartwing down on the ground and the green little dude groaned. Peleka smirked as she walked over to Ashton and grabbed his cheeks with her left hand. She grinned eagerly and shook his head slightly, knocking his glasses off.

"Aww, what a cutie you are without those glasses! It's almost a shame. Senkoukura likes children quite a lot, really. He keeps those that are captured on the island as pets until they reach proper age of 24. Then they get to join their families in death."

She licked her lips as she traced a line down Ashton's cheek with one claw, drawing blood. "Yes, you would probably be quite a tasty little pet. Perhaps I won't kill you. Perhaps I'll just make you watch as I kill 421 over here, then I'll have some fun with you before I turn you over to Senkoukura. If you ask nicely he might grant you the kindness of a quick end…no need for you to go on living after you've learned everyone you've cared about is either dead or going to die."

Ashton's body was seizing up. He was becoming unable to move. But his eyes widened in horror on that last statement.

"Oh, yes...you see, this was all a test. If you made it to the palace, good job, well done. But you will definitely NOT be making it there. And after we kill everyone that came on that boat with you, we're going to go and launch an attack on Kauai. We'll kill off every human on the island. Senkokura was against the idea of attacking Kauai at first, he wanted to give your race a chance to prove itself but you've been such-bad-boys!" With every those last three words, she slapped Ashton in the face, hard. "You're gonna have to be puniiiished!"

"YES YOU ARE!"

Heartwing suddenly grabbed the side of her head with his claws and dug in. His eyes were lit up with fury and rage, and he bared his fangs as the white aura began to slash and slice at her like a thousand different knives. She screamed in pain, then fell to the ground, unconscious and bleeding badly.

Heartwing glared at her unconscious form, then walked over to the downed Ashton, placing his hands back on the boy's chest and allowing the aura to embrace him once more as it worked it's healing magic.

MEANWHILE…

Rupert blocked Makani's strike with a tree branch, but it was being torn to shreds by the white experiments claws. Makani's golden eyes glittered as he slashed and slashed, sending Rupert back further and further. Daveigh was on the ground nearby, knocked out completely.

"You really can't keep this up forever." The Avatar of Air said.

"I have to do this!" Rupert said, diving to the side as he dropped the shredded remains of the stick. He grabbed a nearby rock and dove at Makani. "I owe it to her!"

"Oh really?" Makani asked, ducking and punching Rupert in the stomach. The albino fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Makani knelt down on one knee and grabbed Rupert by the neck.

"You don't really OWE her anything. Wasn't Lilo "an annoying earth girl" who foiled your plans time and time again with her "infernal 626" helping her out?"

"I…I'm not like that anymore…" Rupert gasped out.

"No, but one day you will be. You'll turn back to being evil all over again. Be it your brother's style of evil, or something worse. It's in your nature."

"No it's not!" Rupert said, struggling uselessly. "Lemme go, lemme go!"

"You should thank me. She's unconscious right now, and I plan to kill her in that fashion so she doesn't feel anything. It's really a kindness what I'm doing; no reason for her to see me kill you…"

"Doesn't it bother you to kill others?" Rupert asked.

"I don't take any enjoyment from slaying innocents. I find it cruel. And I try to capture any children that end up on this island alive and unharmed so that Senkoukura can keep them as pets. He's not an evil being, he cares for the sake of innocents. But he knows that humanity will continue to turn to evil…and I've learned that people in general will be too easily tempted by evil, be they trogs like us, humans or something else. So therefore…"

Makani raised a clawed hand into the air to bring it down and cut through his prey's throat. "The kindest thing I can do now is to end your life before you turn evil. This way your soul might still reach Heaven."

"I can't allow myself to die." Rupert said.

"Why not?" Makani asked, amused.

"I…OWE…IT…TO…HER!" Rupert howled, and much to Makani's surprise the little hamster was able to release the experiment's grip on him. He then was suddenly in Makani's face, punching him over and over and over…

"Enough." Makani growled, grabbing Rupert by his vest and holding him up. "I wasn't going to eat you, but it appears as if I can't beat you by kinder meth…"

PLURT…PLURT…

"…ods…"

Blood was seeping down from his nose. Makani held a couple droplets of it into the air and looked at it. Then he grinned.

"Congratulations. The girl gets to go free." He said. "You gave me a bloody nose. Not bad. Of course…" He grinned and pulled Rupert close to his face. "I never said I was going to let YOU go…"

Rupert gulped. He was dead meat. At least Daveigh would be-

"But I think I'll let you go anyhow. You've earned it." The Avatar of Air let the hamster loose, and he smiled warmly, shaking Rupert's hand.

"Ow, watch your claws, you stupid-stupid person you!" Rupert said, nursing his now-sore, slightly bleeding hand. Then he blinked stupidly. "Oh…I'm…I'm sorry I just said that…"

"It's alright. It happens." The experiment laughed. His tattoos glowed again and he hovered into the air.

"I'll be seeing you around, Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel. I think I really want to be the one to take you down! So don't lose to anyone else…and take care!" He waved enthusiastically, then floated away. Rupert breathed a sigh of relief as he walked over to Daveigh and helped her up.

"Come on…" He said to her. "We've got to get move…moving…move…"

His head hit the ground and he faded away into unconsciousness, unable to hear Daveigh's startled gasp.

Makani glanced back, his ears picking up Daveigh's desperate cries for Rupert to wake up. He looked at the small needle he held in his palm. He picked it up and then put it back underneath the headband where it had been before.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. Sorry, Rupert. I didn't want to do that, but orders ARE orders. I'm just trying to follow them. If you're strong of heart, you'll be okay though…"

He sighed.

"I think."

Rupert awoke to utter blackness. He was sitting on top of a barren patch of land that looked like it had been char-broiled.

Daveigh, where was she?"

"Oh, you want to know where little Daveigh is? Well you really should do her a favor and stay down here."

Rupert turned around to face that familiar-sounding voice.

"Br-brother…wh-what's going on? Where am I?"

Jacques Rupert von Hamsterviel swept his cape back and crossed his arms as he floated over to Rupert on a glowing white platform of circular light. "You're going to find out soon enough. Firstly though, I have to tell you, you should just stay here. I know you care about her and others on the island. It would be better if you just stayed down here."

"Am…am I…dead?" Rupert asked quietly.

"No-no-noooo." Jacques told him, shaking his head vigorously. "Your body's in a comatose state. The special poison that Makani pricked you with was a blend to combat your mind, body, soul and heart. Your heart and soul, they are what's functioning now, while your mind and body are unmoving and unresponsive back up on Niihau. But enough of that. You should know that I don't want to see you suffer. But if you want to go back up…you'll end up making others suffer, and knowing that might tear your heart apart as it is now."

Rupert looked confused. "What do you mean?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.

Jacques groaned. "Oh, I hate this sort of demonstration, but alright…look…"

He pointed behind Rupert. Jacques's twin brother turned around and suddenly he was sweeping through the air and going somewhere else, somewhere familiar, somewhere in the future…

_He was now seeing things as an invisible, featureless phantom…save for his eyes, nose and mouth. He was inside of the Pelekai household kitchen, and Daveigh was there…and so was he…or rather, another version of him. His fur and his vest had become caked and speckled with blood, some fresh and some dried and moldy-looking. _

"_Daveigh, why didn't you tell your parents to run? I would have spared them." He said as he advanced, his blue vest flowing slightly. His voice was softer than normal, quiet, both apologetic and sinister. "YOU were my real target. Not them."_

"_Rupert, don't do this. I'm your friend. You're not a bad mousey anymore."_

"_You didn't know I was good with a knife and needle, did you? Well your father died almost instantly, I assure you. You couldn't see it because you ran off to go hide…"_

_Rupert watched as this other him continued to advance on Daveigh, who took slow, frightened steps back. _

"_But your mother…sigh. She kept screaming. I had to slit her throat to quiet her because she messed up my concentration when I was trying to cut into her heart and end her life. I missed and got her breast instead. Ah, but Sandy…" _

_A cruel, pitiless smile emerged on the bunny's face. "Sandy had it coming for all the disrespect and cruelty he showed me. I explained it very, very carefully to him as I began cutting his chest open." He licked his lips. _

_Daveigh tried to run, but she fell on the ground. Rupert advanced, needle raised. He plunged it into her leg and pumped a colorless serum into the girl's leg. She screamed and began squirming around, crying and wailing._

"_Just cry it out, that's it…that's it…" Rupert offered gently, reaching down and then holding her to his chest. She didn't even have the will to fight back. Finally she just sobbed and sobbed into the linoleum below as he lowered her down and brushed the top of her head with his paw. A look of longing regret appeared on his features. _

"_I could have loved you and spared you this fate…but no, Sandy took you from me, he wouldn't have it. All of this island shall fall and all the experiments in this world will obey my commands…despite my plans though, I wanted to let you go, precious."_

_He knelt down and lifted her up, then clenched her tightly to his chest, gently stroking her down her back. "Because I do care about you. You're a good, sweet, wonderful, smart girl and I admire you greatly. I just…I cannot let you interfere with what I'm going to do, and your heart would not allow you to stand idly by and allow me to take over this world. I know it wouldn't. So I'm going to give you the peace in death that so few can find in life. Don't worry…you won't be alone. Your ohana will be there to greet you."_

"_Why? Why are doing this? You don't have to be evil, Rupert…please stop this before anyone else has to get hurt…" Daveigh begged. She began to feel light-headed, her body was becoming slowly paralyzed. Soon she wouldn't even be able to move her lips at all._

_Rupert shook his head slowly. He lowered Daveigh to the ground, then placed his paw over her mouth. He would suffocate her now and end her life._

"_Goodbye, my precious Daveigh." He told her gently as tears streamed from her eyes. Finally she breathed no more. It had only taken a couple minutes. Rupert gently reached for her eyes and closed them, then picked up her body and placed it by her mother and father's, putting them in a position of repose and love, in which they embraced each other in death. He felt no regret in what he'd done, except that he couldn't have been quicker about it. But he didn't want to use a knife on her, it would have been too violent. She was in a better place now._

_The time had come. He walked out of the house and turned to the darkly-colored dragon experiment nearby. He raised his paw, and a ring of pure black was revealed._

"_Go. Gather up the other experiments…ALL OF YOU…"_

_He turned his head and raised his paw higher. The thronging mass of experiments all howled out in victory, then rushed away from the house, spreading across the island to bring whomever was hiding back to the Pelekai household. Rupert looked at the ring upon his finger and a cruel smile danced on his face. _

"_My will shall soon be done…thank you for the gift, dear friend…I owe you my life…ha-ha-ha…ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hah!"_

"WHAT?! **NO!**" Rupert screamed as he was jolted back to the barren rock he was on. Jacques put his paw on his brother's shoulder and sighed.

"You'll take over Hawaii. You'll use the experiments to rule over the world and eliminate anyone who gets in your way. Then you'll become the Overlord of the galaxy thanks to their help, and the universe will grow to fear you."

"I don't want to do that sort of thing anymore!" Rupert insisted.

"Maybe not NOW…but…heh-heh…"

Jacques turned pale. "Oh no. HE'S coming. Rupert, stay strong. If you really want to change, you have the power inside you. Just remember I'm with you!"

With that, he vanished…and suddenly it was like Rupert was in a football stadium that had just turned all the lights on. He was blinded by a sudden rushing of fire that shot up all around, revealing a dark and barren wasteland. Pillars of fire that swirled around like tornadoes passed around him, and the sky was the color of blood, with clouds that were even redder.

In front of him were a group of experiments with black, red and grey fur. One of them was obviously in charge, he was sitting on a strange, furry-looking throne that seemed to be alive. The leader had black eyes with golden pupils, and was actually quite handsome in a cruel sort of fashion.

"W-who are you?" Rupert asked.

"I'm the King of Experiment Hell! Good thing I dragged you away from Limbo soon enough or you might have returned to your body…we can't have THAT happening, can we?" The experiment laughed. For some odd reason, Rupert couldn't help but think back to that movie he'd seen with Myrtle some time ago, during a "Ultimate Action Movie Marathon" they'd watched together. What had the movie been called-OHHH, 300! Right! And the Spartan king, Leonidas…

"You sound like-"

"Leonidas from 300? That's what EVERYONE says." The experiment complained. "Anyhow, you're down here in Hell while you're comatose and I get to torture and break you and turn you into a monster, since I doubt you'll be able to help me out by turning to evil on your own."

"Help you OUT?!" Rupert asked.

The KEH groaned and stood up, then pointed up. A bright red flame appeared on the tip of his claw.

"Now it's simple. If a person who has great potential for evil does an evil act, it's worth quite a lot to us…it means he'll be in good company down here, he makes us happy by committing evil acts, and most of all, we get to feed and sponge off the misery and unhappiness and sin he creates and commits. It stokes the flame." The flame grew a little bit bigger as it flared. "Now if a person who has great potential for GOOD does evil, well…"

The experiment king grinned as the flame became MUCH larger. "It's worth even MORE to us. Why old Samael himself was an angel, an archangel, the motherf—king morning star…and that's what made the fall all the bigger and badder. It's like a beautiful dessert for us. Now if a person who has great potential for good OR evil commits evil, well…that's a rare treat. Because they could have gone either way…so it's like this: while their sins and crimes may not increase the portion size of what we get…"

The flame suddenly turned pitch black. Then he promptly licked it up with his tongue. "Mmm…it adds such delicious flavor. And YOU…the misery that **you** make will probably taste wonderful. We'll have to savor it. Now then…"

He turned to his left. "Honey?" He asked gently.

A female experiment with golden eyes who appeared to be his wife (wedding rings on both their fingers) held up a scroll.

"Sign at the bottom, doctor." She told him.

"…how is it that you sound like-" Rupert began.

"I'm AWARE I sound an awful lot like Dr. Jennifer Chansey…" The female groaned. "You see, down in Hell, to make sure we don't blow your stinking little brains out with our TRUE voices, we have to use others. If we're lcuky, we can take the voices of those that sell their souls to us, but usually we can only…rent…them from the people who make deals with us."

"Rent?"

"Normally my husband sounds like Gerald Butler, Michael Fassbender and Domnic West, since he got a good deal. _I_ on the other hand, have to switch between Dr. Chansey, Renée Zellweger, Anna Nicole Smith and worst of all, Barbara Streisand!"

"_Ooh_." Rupert cringed.

"But enough of that. Sign at the bottom and-"

"Oh my GOD!" Rupert screamed, jumping back, pointing with a shaking paw at the chair. "That chair-that-that-that…"

"Oh. That." The female remarked.

The fur was actually real fur! Rupert had now just seen a face popping out from the "folds", silently screaming. Apparently the chair was…was…

"Yes, it's actually made of experiments. They're all stuffed and combined together, it took me HOURS to stick each one in there. Those fools were all stupid enough to lose in the competition to free the-" Suddenly she realized what she was doing and shut her mouth.

"Free their what?" Rupert asked,

"Their souls from Hell!" A little girl exclaimed. She was actually very cute as far as little furry grey, black and red hellspawns went.

"Oh! Great!" An experiment who appeared to be her brother groaned. "Nice going, SIS. REAL nice. Now he knows!"

Rupert grinned. "Yeah…I do…it's standard procedure I read about during an E.G.O seminar on banishing and being banished to Hell. If I challenge you to a musical contest, you have to say "yes", and if I WIN it…"

"Yes, yes, you go free." The demonic experimental king complained. "Not that you'll win it. Oh, and uh, to make things sweeter for when you're defeated…"

He clapped his hands together. Suddenly they were all located in the middle of a HUGE coliseum, with hundreds of experiments watching from around in the stands, cheering and booing. Most of the booing was directed at the KEH, but the cheering stopped when a certain SOMEBODY that Rupert recognized all too well stood up and pointed.

It was none other than 561. Nightwing.

"Rupert, you are down in Hell? Well isn't THIS a surprise." The sarcasm was thick in his smooth, almost gentle voice. "We have to place our hopes on YOU?"

"Hopes?" Rupert asked.

"Yes, you are, in fact, the 666th person who's been sent down here! The rules set down by the Big Guy himself are that any being that ends up down in my kingdom who's the 666th visitor not only can free himself, but the souls of all that have been accumulated so far. That is, if you win. Which, of course…you won't." The KEH laughed.

"You know, your voice now reminds me of the sound made while squashing bugs." Rupert muttered.

The KEH stopped laughing. He snarled and snapped his fingers as his family moved aside and the throne vanished. Two fiddles and two bowstrings appeared in the air.

"Of course, after you fail, we start the counter all over again, and it will take another 665 people to reach our "lucky" triple six. We've started over, oh…three times."

"Well it's time to make a change then." Rupert stated. "And hand you your first defeat." He grabbed the fiddle and did some practice. "Hmm. Sounds…sound."

The prisoners of Hell didn't appear so sure that Rupert would win. Many immediately began cheering the King of Experiment Hell, kissing his ass. Nightwing, oddly enough, simply smiled gently at Rupert and sat down in his seat, waiting.

"Well, let's see you beat…this." The KEH laughed, and he began to play his own fiddle.

_A city girl is happy with her friends and family life,  
Appreciates a wine with him at night…  
She tries to find the sparkle, she searches but it's gone…  
With lots of love she hopes he'll be alright! _

_Her man has gone all quiet he's not at ease…  
He doesn't feel at home he's hard to please…  
He gets itchy feet he's tired of noises in the street,  
He needs to walk for hours through the trees!_

_  
No a bushman can't survive on city lights…  
Opera rock and roll and height of heights!  
His moon shines on the silver brigalow…  
Shimmers down the inland river flow…  
Out there where the yellow belly bites!_

_He's working with his hands today on a building site…  
He can smell the Cypress on the floor.  
It takes him to a sandy ridge out amongst the pines,  
No shearin' no ploughin' anymore! _

_His kelpie dog is tired and fast asleep…  
Sick of searchin' gardens for the sheep!  
His master doesn't whistle tunes he's not in the mood…  
His love for open spaces runs too deep!_

_No a bushman can't survive on city lights…  
Opera rock and roll and height of heights!  
His moon shines on the silver brigalow…  
Shimmers down the inland river flow…  
Out there where the yellow belly bites!_

_He tries to please his woman the lady of his life…  
He's standing at a party with a plate…  
She finds him on the balcony staring at the moon…  
An old familiar face he can relate!_

The KEH gently strummed the violin, and suddenly a feeling of sorrow and longing filled Rupert from head to toe, and he understood where it came from as he looked at the King of Experiment Hell…there was such unhappiness in his eyes as he played the violin in his clawed paws.

In a way, the king was a prisoner too. Being down in Hell…what kind of life could his family have? He had some regret in him, but he didn't care about anyone else but his family, Rupert could tell.

_His moon shines on the silver brigalow…  
Shimmers down the inland river flow…  
Out there where the yellow belly bites!_

The king finished and grinned. The other experiments groaned. That had been very, very, VERY moving and wonderful. How could a white rat hope to top THAT?!

Rupert wiped his eyes. "That was…beautiful." He said. "Tell me something, does it really not bother you to take somebody's soul?"

"Should it, little mouse?" The female asked, grinning.

"…I see that reasoning with you is about as useful as putting out a fire with a squirt gun, so…I'll just begin."

He began to tap his foot on the ground, picturing the rhythm in his mind and putting out for all to hear. And Nightwing's eyes widened when he recognized it.

One, two, three, four!

Rupert began to play rapidly, strumming fast and hard as he sang the song.

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married long time ago!  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe? _

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married long time ago!  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe?_

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married long time ago!  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe?_

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married long time ago!  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe?_

The song was so cheery and upbeat that it began to catch on. The crowd began to stomp their feet. At first it been irregular, but now it was perfectly in tune with the song's rhythm, and the experimental damned were having a HELL of a time…so to speak.

_He came to town like a midwinter storm!  
He rode through the fields so handsome and strong!  
His eyes were his tools and his smile was his gun…  
But all he had doing was having some fun!_

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married long time ago!  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe? _

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married long time ago!  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe?_

Rupert was dancing on his tippity toes as he performed the next bit of fiddling, twirling around and laughing as the bowstring went back and forth, back and forth. And now all of the stadium's crowd was singing along!

_He brought a disaster wherever he went…  
The hearts of the girls were to hell, broken sent!  
They all ran away so nobody would know…  
and left only men 'cause of Cotton-Eye Joe!_

"Yee-haw!" The little girl from before laughed, bouncing up and punching the air.

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married long time ago!  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe? _

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married long time ago!  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe?_

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married long time ago!  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe? _

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married long time ago!  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe?_

_If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married long time ago!  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from Cotton-Eye Joe?_

Finally Rupert stopped playing, twirling around and raising the fiddle and the bowstring he'd used high, beaming broadly. The crowd all went WILD.

The King of Experiment Hell snarled. He threw the fiddle down and it shattered into a thousand different pieces as he clenched his fists.

"I don't know how the HELL you just did that…but…I have to admit…you outdid me."

"Hell YEAH he outdid you, dad!" The young son of the king laughed.

"Anyhow, you're free to go…all…of…you." He growled. The experiments all cheered as one by one they quickly vanished from the stadium, shooting up through the sky in multicolored beams of light. Nightwing leapt down from his seat and glided calmly down to Rupert.

"It's actually good to see you again…and I see you did admirably. It is…a shame…that I cannot congratulate you in life…"

"Y-you're dead?" Rupert asked, astonished. "How? I mean, you're a master of dark energy, you can fly, you're strength is-"

"My son told Daveigh we had a falling out. What he means by "falling out" is that he ripped my throat out." Nightwing said with a trace of bitterness in his voice. "My poor wife…dear Haley, forgive me…but there is no time for tears."

He nodded at Rupert. "You take very good care of Daveigh. Beware of my son Eclipse."

With another small, chilling smile, he vanished, spiraling up in a beam of black light. As he looked at his paws, Rupert noticed that he was turning into small particles of white light himself, and he knew he'd soon be going back up to Earth as well.

"I can't believe that I lost to an inferior-looking experiment like you." The King of Experiment Hell groaned.

"Oh, I'm not an experiment. I'm Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel."

"So?"

"…I'm an alien. A Muridean from Planet Jennet."

"You're just an alien RODENT?! Not even an experiment!?" The KEH gasped. "That means I couldn't have controlled your soul anyhow!"

"AND you can't get the souls of the others back because the rules said "any person"…it wasn't restricted to just experiments." The little girl said. "So you tried to take control of a soul you couldn't have ever had. You basically made a fool of yourself for nothing. It was like TOTALLY pointless!"

"I think I like that girl." Rupert thought to himself. And with that, he went flying up in a shaft of white light, leaving the King of Experiment Hell to swear and curse in front of his family, teaching his baby daughter words she wasn't supposed to know for another 5 years.

MEANWHILE…

"What am I doing?" The being thought to himself. "Is it truly right to condemn the humans to d—nation?"

He had been meditating for quite some time. And now he was beginning to doubt, for something had suddenly resonated within him that hadn't been appearing before.

"Those poor children…how could I do such things? Why is there not a better way to deal with them…they don't deserve this, nobody deserves this. I've got to stop, it's not right…but I cannot go back on my decree, I made an order…they have to be tested…"

Then suddenly he felt a horrible twisting feeling in his stomach and he groaned in pain, putting one paw upon it. "Ooohhh…"

Too much stress. He groaned. "I have no real choice anymore." He realized, shaking his head. "What will happen will happen…for better…or for worse."

**Sneak preview!**

_"Hello delegates. Welcome to Puuwai, the Shining Heart of Hawaii! Hello Grey, it's been, what, two years?" His fur had gotten darker, and now his belly had turned black. His claws had dulled slightly and his antennae were very, VERY bent…but this was Leroy._

_"Two years and three months since you tried to break into Jumba's laboratory, Leroy Mākaia." Grey mumbled, crossing his arms._

_"Such hatred in your voice…" Leroy snickered._

_..._

_"I am Lord of Flame and Light. Who are you to judge me wrong? Only future generations will be able to decide if what I did was not for the better of my kind." Senkoukura stated._

_"We…we aren't going to let you do this!" Daveigh shouted, stepping forward and clenching her fist to shake it at the lord._

_Then a chilling smile passed over the white dragon's face as he turned to look directly into her eyes. His voice made her freeze up as he spoke the next words. "Whatever makes you think you can do anything to stop me? Do you not understand how strong I truly am?"_

_..._

_A familiar orange experiment with a cone-like head was bouncing his butt back and forth as he listened to his Ipod. He was wearing a dark jacket with plain khaki pants, and although he had a couple scars on his chest and a couple hairs on his head had turned grey, he looked pretty fit._

_"Bomba-bomba-bomb, bomb-bomb! Bomba-bomba-bomb, bomb-bomb! Well I guess it would be nice! If I could touch yo body! I know not everybody…has got a body like you! Wowwww!"_

_It was then, as he did a twist around, yelling out "Shakaraka!" as he bounced his butt around, that our horny Hawaiian citizen saw the approaching armored dragon whose eyes made it clear he was not coming to the island to give everyone hugs._


	11. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

"Well…we made it. Somehow…" Grey mumbled. He looked down at a cut he'd received and began licking it, then stopped abruptly, looking ashamed.

One by one they had tumbled out of the jungle and had found themselves in the center of Niihau. At one point, it had been nothing but a large, mountainous area. But now things were far, far different. The many buildings rose up like ivory towers, shining in the light, glimmering and glittering as the light of the sun filtered down through and around them. There were many opened windows, and people had grown little plants on their windowsills, including many, many flowers.

The streets were smooth and sleek, made of golden brick. There were many shops that had large windows advertising the products created inside. Over their head, the occasional flying experiment would go spiraling over them, flapping their wings or perhaps using telekinesis. And of course, the vehicles. Smooth and sleek, with jet engines sticking out of the back, turbines that were sculpted with as much care as Michelangelo's David and all making peaceful humming noises. All the while, there were pretty, crystalline wind chimes all around.

"Ooh, I LOVE windchimes!" Bellatrix exclaimed loudly.

As they entered the city, ignoring the occasional weird stare that they got from its inhabitants, they noticed somebody was standing there with a dark black jumpsuit on…one that was familiar in appearance. VERY familiar especially to-

"Hello delegates. Welcome to Puuwai, the Shining Heart of Hawaii! Hello Grey, it's been, what, two years?" His fur had gotten darker, and now his belly had turned black. His claws had dulled slightly and his antennae were very, VERY bent…but this was Leroy.

"Two years and three months since you tried to break into Jumba's laboratory, Leroy Mākaia." Grey mumbled, crossing his arms.

"Such hatred in your voice…" Leroy snickered.

"You're a twisted little freak-a-leek." Grey said right back.

"Like 627's any better, and he's supposed to be on YOUR side." Leroy snapped.

"Legion Koʻokoʻo is a better man than you will EVER be." Grey said angrily. "HE settled down!"

"Yeah, now Dad only gets his freak on with Mom." David stated.

"You're Mr. One-Night-Stand. You can't hold onto a girlfriend for two weeks." Bellatrix laughed.

"And you give kinky a bad name." Grey added. "At least I REMEMBER and CHERISH the names of every girl I've ever been with."

"Yeah, I'm sure the one girl you had sex with appreciates that you remember her name." Leroy muttered.

"I can never, ever forget." Grey said sadly in a voice that was different than before. Then he glanced over at Rupert, and his eyes went wide.

_Oh CRAP. _

"**YOU**." Rupert snarled.

Leroy saw "Hammy" standing there and he gaped. "Y-YOU!?"

"Sie zerstörten alles, was sie lausig höhlenbewohner!" Rupert howled, rushing forward and grabbing Leroy. He punched him over and over in the face, letting out a horrible growling mix between a scream and a roar of fury. "Ich werde mich zu töten euch, ihr liegenden Tasche Schissce!"

"Dude, you're killing him!" David shouted. He and Bellatrix pulled the snarling, spitting (and now BITING) alien rodent off of Leroy.

"You traitorous little…I'm going to KILL YOU! I swear, I am going to KILL YOU!" Rupert howled, now snarling in English. "You ruined my life! You ruined that poor girl Lilo's life! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT AND I AM GOING TO **KILL YOU!**" His red eyes glinted in a fashion they'd never seen before, and instantly Rupert knew: he was capable of killing.

Leroy now looked very nervous. Grey was burning a hole into him with a harsh glare.

"Uh…how about I just take you to Senkoukura-san?" He asked in that growling, slightly oily evil voice of his.

"You might wish to do that quickly. I doubt Bellatrix and David can hold dear Rupert there forever." Jude remarked.

"Calm down, carrot-cruncher!" Bellatrix shouted.

"Fick dich ins Knie!" Rupert hollered in German again.

Heartwing suddenly hugged the little white rodent. Suddenly he felt lighter as a beautiful wave of white washed over him, bathing him in its glow.

"Stop hating." Heartwing told Rupert softly.

"…al…alright…" He said finally.

"Right, right." Leroy remarked, waving his hand dismissively. "Want I should take a picture of you being "super best friends"?"

"I hope you die." Rupert mumbled.

"Rupert, stop stooping to the level of a 90-year-old fuzzy red Koala who doesn't bathe on a daily basis." Grey remarked.

"…well, when you put it like that…"

"This way, ya loopy little fairies." Leroy groaned, turning around and motioning for them to follow him.

He led them into a nearby building and opened up its large doors. The building was built in a circular fashion, and there were hundreds of different teleportation pads all around, with different control consoles at each one. The ceiling was tastefully…well, sort of…decorated with the depiction of Leroy landing on Niihau and dramatically "founding" a colony.

"I like the way they brought out my eyes." Leroy snickered.

"Stomach fat." Gnash said suddenly.

Leroy shut up suddenly.

"How did you DO that, Gnash?" Rupert asked.

"It's a gift." Gnash admitted. "And my real name is Ganesh, but I did not wish to get sued since there's this superhero-"

"This is the one." Leroy mumbled, pointing at one located in the center, with a royal purple pad. He walked up to the console, quickly entering a code.

"Everyone who wants in get on this side of the table!" Grey wisecracked, stepping onto the pad.

"You're not scared, are you?" Daveigh asked Rupert as they got on.

"No. I'm _not_." Rupert said. And he wasn't lying this time…he really meant it.

Jude and Ark climbed on. Ark began stretching his arms a little. "Have you ever actually seen Senkoukura?" He asked Jude.

"…yes, I…I was there at his baptism. My father performed the ceremony." Jude admitted.

"Go ahead, take us to see him!" Gnash stated.

"We're all ready, then?" David asked.

"Hell yeah!" Bellatrix hollered.

"Let's go see The Man, already." Ashton complained.

"The DRAGON." Heartwing corrected.

"You ready for this, babe?" Carmen asked.

"As long as you're here with me. Eres mi angelito." Chopsuey said, hugging her to him.

"Aw, you DO know me!" Carmen said happily.

"And if something goes wrong…then estamos matalo." Chopsuey told her secretly.

"Go ahead, Leroy." Grey said. "Let's get a move on."

Leroy nodded and pressed a blue button on the console. The pad was activated, and the moment he stepped on it, they were whisked away…

They all found themselves in the middle of a pearly white building. There was a large, circular glass roof above them, and stained glass windows lined up and down the walls to their left and right, and long stands for candles were placed all around, a sweet smell emanating from each candle. The walls and floor were smooth and felt warm as they stepped onto them, in fact all of the room had a comforting warmth to it. And as they approached the solid gold throne at the end, which towered at the top of a large flight of stairs, they realized that glowing warmth was coming from this being.

He was a small dragon that couldn't have been bigger than three and a half feet tall. He was resting all four claws upon each of his forepaws on the throne's armrests. He had small, angelic wings with a second set of wings made of golden feathers underneath another that matched his beautiful, smooth and silken white shade of fur he had over his body. He had two smaller "horns" jutting from the side and bottom of his head, and a larger one in the center of his head. He had two fairly long ears on each side of his head, and a red, curved stripe over his nose. His tail curled up and down slightly as he smiled gently at them.

"Hello." He said simply. His voice was beautiful and melodious, and it sounded like he could have been the greatest choir boy in the world. Jude had a voice similar to his, but there really was no comparison. Above all though, he was both cute…and yet radiated awe from his body. "I am Senkoukura. Master of Flame and Light."

"Hello son." Heartwing said sadly.

"Hello father." Senkoukura remarked.

"How have you been, Chibisuke?" He asked.

"Chibi?" Rupert asked, turning his head.

"I named him Chibisuke…little one in Japanese." Heartwing stated. "He doesn't like it, took a different one-"

"One more fitting of a ruler. Since you've arrived, I can finally put my plan into action. I really have been waiting for you to come." Senkoukura remarked.

"What's your plan?" Daveigh asked.

Senkoukura scratched his stomach leisurely. "Oh, I have spies on Kauai and on Oahu. I'm going to go out and punish those humans that dare to try and harm my kind. I'm going to erase them from the face of the map."

"WHAT?!" Grey shouted.

"Unfortunately…" Senkoukura remarked. "I am going to have to do worse than simply burning buildings to the ground. Every single one of you has loved ones back on Kauai. That's regrettable…if they were here, they might have been spared. But unfortunately as a lord I have an obligation to satisfy my people's desires, and they desire the absolute destruction of Kauai and Oahu."

"W-why would you want to do something so awful?!" Rupert asked, horrified. Ashton had turned pale…and green.

"Because you humans have dared to keep experiments as PETS there, you would deny so many of us our basic rights…the crime rate in Oahu alone…those offenses cannot be tolerated." The dragon explained, a tone of anger briefly seeping in.

"Please…don't do this. There must be another way!" Chopsuey said. "I know what it's like to want to get revenge…it won't truly help you!"

"You do not know the suffering we've endured…it's far greater than what you've put up with." Senkoukura said in that same beautiful voice.

"Doesn't it bother you that you'll be hurting innocent people?" Jude asked. "You will damn your soul if you continue on this path."

"I am Lord of Flame and Light. Who are you to judge me wrong? Only future generations will be able to decide if what I did was not for the better of my kind." Senkoukura stated.

"We…we aren't going to let you do this!" Daveigh shouted, stepping forward and clenching her fist to shake it at the lord.

Then a chilling smile passed over the white dragon's face as he turned to look directly into her eyes. His voice made her freeze up as he spoke the next words. "Whatever makes you think you can do anything to stop me? Do you not understand how strong I truly am?"

He slowly got off of the throne and suddenly he began to grow…now he was seven feet tall, and was walking down from the throne on his long legs, the talons careful not to scratch the floor as he walked towards Daveigh, who couldn't move. His muscles had grown, and he was now looking much more dangerous than before.

"I wanted to keep you children as my pets after this was over, but it seems you intend to resist me. That's futile. Do you not understand?"

Daveigh couldn't move, couldn't THINK, couldn't even FEEL. She was just frozen.

"I am your superior, child. I am a god."

The others found they couldn't move either. A sense of awed horror had crept into them. Leroy just smirked and stepped back, away from the group.

"Your kind tries, but they cannot compare to me. In reality, you only landed on this island unharmed because I allowed it, you traitors to the "trog" name shall be burnt from within by the fires of heaven because I will it so, humankind exists solely because I decree you should continue to exist. And now I decree that you shall become one with me."

He placed his clawed paw on her shoulder and she found herself looking up into his beautiful blue eyes.

"Do you understand? You are to be my meal. And you will not resist it. Becoming a part of me means becoming one with the pure power of light and fire. You will receive a beautiful baptism in my stomach as your body and mind are digested. Your heart and soul will rejoice as you become one with me, and you will sing praises of my glory even as you slide down my throat. This was your fate. This is the fate of all humans, ultimately. I see now that I can no longer allow your kind to exist anymore…you are far too great a threat."

She didn't even have the will to say no. This was her fate…she would accept it. She would enjoy it. A sense of peaceful happiness came over her as the dragon licked it's lips.

"Farewell, dear child." He crooned, lowering his head, jaws opening wider, wider. She found herself pushing upwards on her toes, welcoming her end.

Then it happened. Heartwing, who had been resisting the miasma from his son, had been unable to free himself with his own aura of light…but he and Grey had been using their respective wills to generate a strong bolt of energy. Now it shot out and hit the one closest to Daveigh and Senkoukura…Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel.

The little rabbit/mouse/gerbil/hamster was suddenly in the air, and he punched the dragon clear in the snout, sending him reeling back.

"_**Don't you touch her!" **_He shouted. And with that punch the effect that had been circulating through the air vanished. Daveigh gasped and fell on her butt, clutching her dizzy head. Rupert's fist was glowing brightly for the slightest of moments, and then that glow vanished.

"He's got it." Heartwing realized inside his head.

"Holy cow! Rupert, you got the music in you!" Grey whispered to himself, grinning.

"How on EARTH did you…" Senkoukura remarked, rubbing his sore snout. Then he smiled. It wasn't a very nice one. "No matter. Leroy…"

Leroy nodded and held up a walkie-talkie. "Execute Plan A21."

Across the island the call went out. The Niihau natives ran for the nearest teleportation pads, warping away. Soon our protagonists found themselves surrounded by the throng of Niihau experiments who were all advancing closer and closer.

Then they all stopped…and Daveigh saw why as she pointed at Senkoukura. He was getting larger, larger, larger…

He broke through the crystalline roof above, shattering it into a million little pieces that fell down, down…

"Heartwing!" Grey shouted.

"On it!"

Heartwing spread his arms and a shield of light protected them all, with the shards of glass bouncing off like they had hit a trampoline. Leroy ducked to avoid a flow of glass and growled in annoyance.

The shield went down a few moments after the glass had stopped falling…and now they all saw Senkoukura's true form. He was now the size of a skyscraper, with a well-built body and smooth muscles. His claws and talons were longer and sharper, and two fangs jutted out slightly from the top of his lips. He was no longer furry, but armored in white, with red "gloves" on his hands and taloned "boots" of red to match. He had a longer, serpentine neck now, and had red armor on the top of the neck as well as red markings on his shoulder pads and knee pads. He had a long reptilian tail and two large, jet-like wings stemming from the back of his shoulders. He had two large horns that curved up from a red gem in the middle of his forehead and beautiful golden eyes instead of blue ones now.

"**You who have come to my island heed my words. You exist only due to my mercy. An audience is needed to observe what shall befall Kauai and Oahu." **Senkoukura intoned, his voice now echoing through the air like a great bell ringing.

A sense of genuine awe filled them…and despair. What could they do to fight something as mighty as this?

Thank God for Daveigh.

"Come on guys! This wouldn't be the first time we had to face off against someone who was a lot, lot bigger than us!" She said, punching the air. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!"

"Testify, sister!" Jude laughed happily.

"Let us kick his ass!" Gnash shouted.

"Hmph. The weaker they are, the louder they bark." Leroy remarked, snapping his fingers. "Swarm them and hold them here! They're going to watch, whether they like it or not!"

"You can TRY and make us!" Rupert shouted, stepping forward.

Leroy sneered at him. "Oh, whatcha gonna do, little mouse?" He asked. "Hug me to death with Hamster Lovin'?"

"AAHHHH!" Rupert hollered, kicking him squarely in the crotch with full strength.

"You...little…S—T!" Leroy squeaked, falling backwards and nursing his sore privates.

"Jude, Grey, Heartwing, you two can fly, try and slow the big bad dragon down. Everyone else…CHAAARGE!" Chopsuey hollered, punching the air.

The palace turned into a warzone as Grey, Jude and Heartwing flew after Senkoukura. Gnash blew with his trunk, sending experiments sailing high through the air. Then he'd take a deep breath and send them falling down to the ground…only to be blown back up into the air a moment later.

Ashton had taken out his gun and was waving it around. Our protagonists ducked as he fired and fired and fired…missing, since he couldn't aim worth s—t and he had his eyes closed in nervousness. A bunch of Niihau natives began laughing…

Then the chandelier that Ashton had unknowingly shot down crashed on their heads, knocking them out. Well whaddya know.

"Get the mahu!" Somebody shouted. An experiment with a pumpkin-like head and a scythe grinned as he rushed at Ark…but then Ark grabbed the experiment's leg and twirled him around and around, finally throwing him at the crowd and barreling a bunch of them over. "Take THAT!"

"Heh. Lolos." Chopsuey snickered. He noticed Rupert was being pinned down by two experiments with shock-sticks. He was quivering madly but still looked very angry at them. A third walked over and raised a hilt into the air, and a large katana-style plasma sword slowly grew from it.

"This should be fun." He said.

"Kokahele ia paka!" The hamster shouted.

They blinked. "Oh wow, that was really good pronunciation." The third experiment said.

"You think so?"

"Oh definitely."

"Yep." Said the first experiment.

"No lie." Said the second.

"Well how's this: Wawau, oukou hupos!"

"Nice, nice!" The third stated.

"Luma'i." Rupert said.

"…huh?"

WHACKA-WHACKA-WHACKA!

Chopsuey had struck all of them over the head. They fell to the ground and Rupert stood up. "Told them to duck." He said.

"That you did." Chopsuey agreed.

Daveigh was in trouble. She'd grabbed a nearby candlestick and had tried to bat one particularly angry-looking experiment away. But when she'd cut right through him…he'd sloughed into water, reforming into TWO experiments! She tried to whack him again…now there were three. Then four.

"How you gonna stop me NOW?" The experiment crowed as he kicked the candlestick out of her hand.

Daveigh gulped…then suddenly she got a sassy look on her face and grinned. "Come and GET SOME." She said.

_Oh baby, baby…how was I supposed to know?_

She suddenly put one hand on her hip, then thrust her other hand to the side, as she bounced her hip back and forth. Then she took a few steps forward, swishing her hips as she snapped her fingers, much to the experiment's surprise. Then she put her hand on her hip again, snapping with one finger, then twirled around in place…and she wasn't even looking at him! She had turned completely around! Naturally the experiment took the chance to try and advance, but…

_HIT ME…_

One copy came up from behind and she promptly whacked him with the back of her fist as she held it up in the "testify" gesture…

_BABY…_

Another copy tried to rush her from her right side, and she thrust one arm up, her hand in a "talk to the hand" gesture, knocking HIM down as well.

Finally, the last two tried to rush her from both sides, growling. She simply held her hands to her chest for a moment, then thrust them out and upward in a pose._ ONE MORE TIME!_

"D—N, but she can testify!" Chopsuey stated.

"YoU gO, gIrL!" Carmen hollered in her mutant form, smushing several natives beneath her fists.

Bellatrix and David were pinned down again. "Now you're getting me angry!" Bellatrix howled. Suddenly a second head popped out next to her own, shocking the crowd back…and then a double sonic screech sent them flying away.

"You owe me big time, you owe me big time!" Bellatrix sang out as she did a victory dance on the spot, not noticing a large, bulky behemoth about to crush her. "You owe-"

Luckily David DID. He glared at the beastly experiment and he pointed with one claw, sending the experiment flying through the air with telekinesis.

"Uh…let's call it even then." Bellatrix remarked.

"Why not, ha-ha-ha!" David laughed.

Grey, Heartwing and Jude soared through the air after Senkoukura.

"Think we can catch up to him in time?" Jude hollered.

"His wings are larger than yours…he'll reach Kauai before we do unless somebody slows him down before WE can!" Grey yelled.

"Somebody IS on guard duty for the western beach." Heartwing told them.

"Who?" Jude asked.

Grey turned to him. "Who else?"

MEANWHILE, AT KAUAI…

A familiar orange experiment with a cone-like head was bouncing his butt back and forth as he listened to his Ipod. He was wearing a dark jacket with plain khaki pants, and although he had a couple scars on his chest and a couple hairs on his head had turned grey, he looked pretty fit.

"Bomba-bomba-bomb, bomb-bomb! Bomba-bomba-bomb, bomb-bomb! Well I guess it would be nice! If I could touch yo body! I know not everybody…has got a body like you! Wowwww!"

It was then, as he did a twist around, yelling out "Shakaraka!" as he bounced his butt around, that our horny Hawaiian citizen saw the approaching armored dragon whose eyes made it clear he was not coming to the island to give everyone hugs.

Legion Koʻokoʻo immediately grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the emergency number. "THE ISLAND IS UNDER ATTACK!" He shouted into it. "Chibi's made his move! EVACUATE, EVACUATE!"

Air-raid sirens rippled through the air as announcements blared in between the wails of the siren.

"ATTENTION. ATTENTION. EVACUATE THE ISLAND, AWAY FROM THE WEST SIDE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. REPEAT: EVACUATE AWAY FROM THE WEST SIDE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

People screamed and took for the streets, rushing away as fast as they could. Among the throes that were close…too close, too close to the beach…were Ashton's parents…and Daveigh's…

Stitch barked out commands into his own communication systems. "STOP HIM. I don't care what it takes, he CANNOT destroy the island! I will not stand idly by and allow him to just wipe out every last human in Hawaii!"

Angel clenched her fist. "It's time, then…it's war…"

Back at the palace, our protagonists had successfully knocked out the last of the natives, although all of them had sustained wounds of some kind. Rupert, Daveigh and Ashton had the least amount of damage on them, they only had a couple scratches and marks. Ark and Jude had done slightly worse, both had a black eye each. The others had bruises and cuts, but luckily that was the worst of the injuries.

"These guys won't stay down long. We gotta teleport to the western beach of Kauai."

"But the shielding on the island prohibits us from teleporting directly there, just like Niihau and Oahu's shielding keeps us from going directly into THEIR cities and such!" Gnash stated. "We need a different plan-"

"No, the shielding is down. Right now I wager they've converted the energy in the shielding to powering up the defense systems that were built up into the island." Daveigh explained. "Now let's see…"

She walked over to the nearest control panel and entered in coordinates. "There, easy as hacking into the Pentagon! We are ready to ride! Everyone get in and hold on tight to someone!"

They were whisked to the western beach of Kauai in an instant, and Rupert was quite surprised to finally come face to face again with 627.

"Hello…um…Legion, right?" He asked.

"Yes. Hello Hammy." Legion Koʻokoʻo remarked. "I'm glad to see you, Chops. Where are Heartwing, Grey and Jude? I thought they were also-"

"**You are annoying me." **Senkoukura's voice echoed.

"Look." Daveigh said, pointing up at the dragon that towered over Kokaua Town. He was swatting at Jude, Grey and Heartwing. "I don't think they can hold him off forever, guys…"

"**What makes you believe you can hold me off at ALL?" **Senkoukura remarked with a tone of amused mirth in his voice. He clapped his clawed hands together, and the shockwave sent all three fliers spiraling away. Jude sailed towards the western beach, but Chopsuey leapt up and caught him, easing him down. Grey collided with a nearby tree and groaned as he stuck his head out, spitting out some leaves. Heartwing went straight through the roof of a house and moaned in pain as he got back up.

"We gotta put a stop to this somehow!" Daveigh shouted.

"**As I said before, you exist only at my whim. Now be silent." **Senkokura growled. He raised his clawed hands up and focused. A large burning fireball erupted from his palms. He sent it spiraling at the group.

David immediately leapt up and raised his hands along with his father. "Didn't know it was "Bring Your Son to Work Day"!" David wisecracked.

"THAT'S the ticket. One, two, three, FOCUS!"

Rupert and Ashton watched as the father and the son telekinetically swiped the fireball aside into the ocean…but it resulted in a big crash. The ocean rose up in a tidal wave and swept down, soaking and striking them hard.

Rupert staggered up, gasping. Grey had climbed out of the tree along with Heartwing. The little dragon was tending to Ashton and Daveigh, who had been hit the hardest. Rupert shook his body free of water and looked up in horror at what was happening.

The island had had special artillery installed into it. Large cannons rose up from underground, shaped like globes with their smooth shafts sticking out and aiming at the enemy. Cables ran up and down the shaft of the turret, and they were firing nonstop at Senkoukura. He just stood there, scratching his snout. Then when he'd had enough, he spat out a huge beam of burning light from his mouth, obliterating the cannons.

He wasn't finished though. He saw the throngs of people trying to escape and he turned briefly to look at the delegates.

**"You know…I honestly wish it didn't have to be this way. But it does." **

He turned back to the crowd and raised a clawed hand high. An orb of light as bright as the sun began to form.

But Grey suddenly growled and quickly took off his wristwatch and his mood necklace. Then he tossed the mood ring at Rupert and ran at full speed at Senkoukura, screaming a horrifying cry of a pure beast. He threw himself through the air, and landed right on the dragon's armored leg. Roaring in a horrifying fashion, he began slashing and clawing, and in his fury he succeeded in not only momentarily distracting Senkoukura, but his claws suddenly tore a hole into the armored skin and blood flowed out. The large dragon growled in pain.

"**That stings…begone now!" **He reached down with one claw and flicked Grey off. Then he threw the sunlight orb straight in the middle of the crowd. It exploded and sent brilliant, dazzling light shining everywhere. People were blinded and fell to their knees, howling or moaning in pain or petrified fear.

"Rupert…" Grey mumbled, his tone becoming less feral. "You…have…the gift…" He managed to get out as he reached up from the ground, towards the white hamster alien.

"W-what gift? What are you talking about? This isn't the time for blabbering blabber!" Rupert exclaimed.

"My ring…put it on. Focus on…beating…Senkoukura…take your emotions and make them…POWER!" He got that last word out in a harsh snarl.

Rupert shakingly put the ring on as Senkoukura reached down with his claws and lifted up large masses of humans. He tipped his head back and eased them into his mouth and down his throat, getting them down with a large gulp.

Power…

POWER…

Rupert focused. His teeth clenched. He could hear people screaming, still unable to see as Senkoukura plucked them up again and continued to devour them.

How dare he, how DARE he!

Suddenly it was as if a hard rock/heavy metal chord was rippling through his body, quivering his very bones as one emotion took over…

_**Rage…**_

Suddenly it happened. Rupert screamed to the sky and lightning split down. It struck him squarely, and his fur turned as dark as midnight while his eyes became a beautiful pale blue. Two sets of short yet delicate red wings emerged from his back as his body glowed with a blood red aura. He gnashed his now-fanged teeth, and a pentagram symbol appeared on his chest as he soared into the sky.

Senkoukura had devoured many now…but when the lightning had struck he'd stopped, and he now turned to look at Rupert.

"**Intriguing. Your aura has drastically changed…it sickens me to be near it…"**

"I'm about to do something worse than make you sick…" Rupert laughed. His voice sounded like he'd been drinking some sort of infernal potion that had lit his lungs up on fire.

He clenched his fist and then rushed forward, fast, _**too**_ fast…and punched Senkoukura in the snout. He sent the mighty dragon flying into the ocean, and soared up into the air.

"You are not so tough when you are fighting somebody who can fight back, you damnable little TROG!" Rupert hollered.

Senkoukura rose back up from the ocean, raising his head. **"Little mouse, you are making a foolish mistake. You are but a child to me! I am a GOD."**

"I'm going to kill you, kill you, kill you DEAD!" Rupert growled. He raised both hands, clenching his fists. "Prepare to be turned into a ladies wallet, you overgrown gecko with wings!" He howled. The blood red aura swirled around his fists as he rushed at Senkoukura, who rushed back at him, raising his own fist. The two of them collided hard…

A large circle of light surrounded them both, one red and white in color, one black and blue. And then as everyone was blinded for a few moments…

There was a loud THUD. And then a smaller "twhump"…

And then when the light had vanished and everyone could see once more, both Senkoukura and Rupert had hit the ground, reduced to their normal forms. Senkoukura rose up, barely able to stand…but he was soon surrounded by his followers, who had teleported over to the beach, taking advantage of the island's defense systems being down. He looked over at Rupert, who was on his back, softly moaning in his sleep…the ring upon his finger turning from red to a deep blue.

The dragon was silent at first. Then his tone became regretful.

"Here I thought that it was you humans that were monsters. Yet the biggest ones…just traded blows."

He turned toward his Niihau brethren. "My sons and daughters…"

"Yes, Senkoukura-san?" Makani asked, looking concerned.

"It's time we…went home. I think that perhaps…I'm…tired of fighting…tired of killing…tired of death…"

Those that could fly carried those that couldn't as Senkoukura floated up into the sky with Makani. The others watched calmly as they left, then turned to each other.

"We did it." Grey realized as he stood up. "We saved Kauai…"

"And now Senkoukura seems to not want to destroy humans anymore…" Daveigh said.

"We're…we're heroes!" Ashton shouted. "Rupert, we're-RUPERT!"

Rupert was coughing madly, in obvious pain. "OHHH!" He groaned. "Bruder…mein bruder… Ça fait mal tellement!" He managed to get out.

"He's in pain, quick, Heartwing!" Chopsuey shouted. "Tend to his wounds! Everyone else, go tend the humans!"

Grey stood by Rupert, kneeling down and holding one paw while Daveigh and Ashton sat near him. "Come on, little buddy…I saved your life with that ring…it…it wouldn't be very grateful of you to go and break my heart by dying…" Grey begged.

But Rupert could only moan.

…

…

…

…where…am…I? What's…what's going…

Oh no…not this dream again…not this place in the future…

_Once more Rupert advanced on a frightened Daveigh, a chilling-yet-benign smile on his face. _

"_Rupert, don't do this. You're ohana and I love you." She begged._

"_Don't be afraid, precious." Rupert told her softly, holding the needle in his hand. Daveigh slipped backwards and her body quivered as Rupert raised it up and it caught the glint of the kitchen light. "I'll make sure you sleep very well indeed." _

_He plunged the needle straight into her heart. Her eyes widened for a brief moment as a twinge of pain rippled through her, and then…so tired…so tired…_

"_Just sleep, my dear. Sleep." Rupert told her, gently brushing her hair out of her face as he held her neck and rubbed the back of it with his other paw._

"_But…why?" Daveigh managed to get out, a single tear slipping down her cheek. "I love you…"_

"_I love you too, Daveigh. That's why I'm doing this. You don't deserve to be in such a cruel world. You deserve to be with your parents, surrounded by love. It's better this way, I understand now. In this way, I can provide for you, just like I did with Ashton. Now just go to sleep…sleep…" He gently rocked her back and forth like a babe, and then finally she stopped breathing. _

_He gently lifted her up and laid her on the couch in a position of peaceful repose, then walked outside, turning to a dark dragon…_

"_Is it done?" _

_"Do not treat her death so cruelly, Eclipse."_

_"Do you truly think me so heartless? It's not a light matter. But it had to be done. Are you prepared?"  
_

"_Yes…I am now." Rupert stated. _

_"Well then…go out and begin to lead the troops, overlord…"_

"No, no, NO! _Not again_!!" Rupert screamed as he woke up. Only it was in a mix of French and German. Everyone turned to look at him…and then he realized he was in a hospital bed. Stitch and Angel were there along with Gnash, Chopsuey and Carmen, Ark, Ashton, Daveigh and Grey, Sandy, Jude and Heartwing, Bellatrix and David and, interestingly enough, 627 and a familiar-looking light blue experiment with a forkpitch-like head-

"Experiment 248?" Rupert asked. "Belle, right?"

"Yes." Belle said. "I heard my baby here saved your lives, RIGHT?!" She shouted that last part very loudly. Everyone else nodded.

"Yeah, we probably would have been squashed if not for him and your son…"

"Ooh, you're getting' some tonight ya stud!" Belle said, standing on her tippy toes and rubbing her nose to Legion, who blushed slightly.

Rupert looked down at his paws. "Am…am I alright now?"

"You've been out for ten hours. The city's being rebuilt, but we're all working together. What were you yelling about?" Daveigh asked.

"…a bad dream…Daveigh died…" Rupert whispered, rubbing his head.

Daveigh looked away, a little bit nervous.

"…I see." Sandy said out loud, without any tone in it.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Grey said, hugging onto Rupert and licking him once, a big, wet, sloppy slurp. Then he let go of ol' Hammy and stood between Stitch and Angel, who were in their robes, looking rather…humbled, all the same…

"Stitch…Angel…isn't there something you want to SAY!?" Grey growled, elbowing Stitch and glaring at Angel.

The two exchanged looks, then sighed.

"You…did better than we thought…except for…for the loss of human life." Stitch stated. "We haven't yet determined how many died, nor do we know the names of those who did, but…"

"You did all we asked of you, and you defended the town with your life. I…I suppose we can trust you." Angel remarked. "Which is too bad, because I wanted to have a taste of you…"

Stitch tossed her a "show some tact" look. She shut up. "In any case…we'd…we'd like to hear the story. All of it. What really happened between you and Leroy?" Stitch asked.

Grey nodded. "Talk. We're willing to listen."

Rupert blinked a few times.

"Go ahead." Stitch agreed.

"Yeah. Talk." Daveigh said, nodding.

And he did.

**Author's Note:**

**The next arc will be centered around more personal adventures of the many protagonists. I call it the "Discovery" arc. You'll find out why soon enough. And by all means, feel free to read and review! **

**Before I begin the next arc, I wish to say something. You know what I wish I owned? Lilo and Stitch. Too bad I don't. I would have continued the series. On the plus side, I have all of the movies and the episodes of the series on DVD, so BOOYAAAAH!**

__

"How's it coming along?" His co-conspirator asked.

"I'm examining all of their files. I want to see their strengths, their weaknesses…anything we can exploit."

"Who are you on now?" The assistant asked in his eager-to-please voice.

...

_"Oh, experiment…625? How…how is he?" Rupert asked, wheezing slightly._

_"Gantu passed away 30 years ago. Rueben's now head of the Galactic Armada, promoted for brave valor and conduct in the line of duty. He still makes the greatest sandwiches there ever was too. I think he's coming to visit for Daveigh's baptism."_

_Rupert panted. "I…I feel really winded…" He told them._

_"I suppose it puts a great strain on your body to manifest your aura like that." Grey said, rubbing his chin._

_..._

_"What's in a name?" Esmeralda said, shrugging. She grinned and showed off her perfectly sculpted teeth. "What's interesting is that nobody's eaten you yet. I suppose they think you're trustworthy enough after you went and saved Kauai. But I've still got my eye on you…"_

_She promptly walked over and shoved Daveigh aside, bending down and licking Rupert's cheek as she got on all fours, slinking over to him. "Until I eat you, you'll be the only one I'll think about, doctor…" She whispered, suddenly nicking him with a small bite to his cheek and tasting the blood. Laughing in an almost musical fashion, she got up and walked away, head held high._

_"She's so creepy." Daveigh said._


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:**

**Now some of you may be wondering what certain Hawaiian words mean. Now I'm going to keep some words in the dark, but for those of you who want to know what so and so is shouting at someone else, here is a site that will help: www. insultmonger. com/ swearing/ hawaiian.htm. I put spaces up so that FF dot Net won't block it. WARNING: NOT for the squeamish. **

**Also, two other things. Words and sentences with "-" shown around either side are thoughts. Just a heads up. Also, this next arc is going to deal with some developments that might make some people go "WH-WHAAA?!". Just relax and try not to freak out. And by all means, read and review! It really cheers me up to get reviews. **

**One more thing before I let you enjoy the story. HUGE shoutout to Wormtail96. He's one hell of a writer and he's given me some great ideas for this story. If you haven't already, READ AND REVIEW HIS NEWEST STORY!**

**Now on with the show!**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

The moon was floating in the sky, beaming down gently, filtering through the window upon the face of the albino hamster.

A shimmering form slowly came into focus. A white, red-cape-wearing alien hamster slowly walked through the air, over to his brother. He sighed and sat down in a nearby chair, looking at his brother with obvious longing…yet also a terrible mix of desire and sorrow.

As Rupert dreamed of riding carrots into a large open mouth of another him, he let out "weeeee's"…but then it stopped…and everything went black. And he was suddenly back…back in high school. He walked down the hallway, past the various students and saw his brother.

"So, perhaps we should…maybe get together for a get-together?" Jacques was asking a nice-looking female alien. She stuck all three tongues out at walked off, laughing.

"What a loser!" They laughed.

Jacques sighed and turned to his right, looking over at Jumba, who was coming down the hallway, brushing his hair up. He was talking to his lab buddies and a younger Rupert. Rupert of the present watched Jacques try to wave to Jumba…but they didn't seem to hear him call out. He slowly lowered his hand and blinked a few times. He hung his head and turned back to his locker.

_You don't know my name…  
you don't know anything about me…  
I try to play nice,  
I want to be in your game…_

Now the scene shifted. Jacques was in Chemistry class, goggles over his eyes. He was about to lower a solution into a test tube filled with chemicals when he heard words. Very horrible words muttered behind his back by cat-like aliens…Rupert recognized Rei among them. Jacques's concentration was messed up and he dropped the beaker. It blew up in his face and everyone laughed. He hung his head again.

_The things that you say…  
You may think I never hear about them…  
But word travels fast,  
I'm telling you to your face…  
I'm standing here behind your back!  
_

Now Jacques was alone in his room, writing out formulas onto a sheet of paper for homework. The darkness of space drifted outside his room…matched only by the darkness of the room itself. Only a single light was on, and it was by the desk. Jacques sighed and looked over at the poster board on the room. It read "Sorry Rupert, out with Jumba, will be back late. Rupert."

_You don't know how it feels…  
To be outside the crowd!  
You don't know what it's like…  
To be left out!  
And you don't know how it feels,  
To be your own best friend…on the outside looking in…_

Now the scene shifted again, and Rupert, Jumba and Jacques were in E.G.O's grand hall. They were all sitting together. A bunch of stuffy-looking aliens gave nasty looks at Jacques and Rupert and laughed when Jacques stood up to try and defend his brother. They just ignored his shouts and walked off, laughing. Jacques lost his bluster and found his fist slowly lowering from the air. He groaned and hopped off the table, walking out the table.

_If you could read my mind…  
You might see…more of me than meets the eye!  
And you've been all wrong,  
Not who you think I am…  
You've never given me a chance!_

Now he was walking slowly through the hallways, head hung slightly.

_You don't know how it feels…  
To be outside the crowd!  
You don't know what it's like…  
To be left out!  
And you don't know how it feels,  
To be your own best friend…on the outside looking in…  
_

Jacques soon arrived at his room and walked inside, locking the door. He jumped onto his bed and stretched on his back, looking up at the ceiling, sighing. Just across from the bed was a poster board that had the memo "Bigger, faster, stronger, go higher!" It was very old.

_Well, I'm tired of staying at home,  
I'm bored and all alone,  
I'm sick of wasting all my time!_

He slowly got off the bed and walked over to his desk, pulling out a simple photo. It was of him, Rupert and Jumba all on their 8th grade graduation. They were all overjoyed and holding their diplomas. He fingered it for a few moments, then put it aside, looking into some books and pouring over formulas of death machines.

_You don't know how it feels…  
To be outside the crowd!  
You don't know what it's like…  
To be left out!  
And you don't know how it feels,  
To be your own best friend…on the outside looking in…_

Finally he groaned and shoved the book away. He laid back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling. "My head…ooh, my head…" He moaned, rubbing his head. "Years of staying up at night and I still can't wrap my head around these…these THINGS…" He muttered. "More practice…I need more practice…"

_You don't know how it feels…  
To be outside the crowd!  
You don't know what it's like…  
To be left out!  
And you don't know how it feels,  
To be your own best friend…on the outside looking in…  
_

Rupert woke up…

But nobody was there in the room with him. He blinked a few times, then went back to sleep.

He never saw the faint glistening tear drops that had fallen from a chair to land on the floor below.

…

…

…

…he tapped on the keyboard, eager to examine the files. The moon was lowering in the night sky.

"Let's see…let's see…ah, here we go."

He pressed the button marked "enter" just as his ever-so-helpful co-conspirator and his annoyingly perfect assistant entered.

"How's it coming along?" His co-conspirator asked.

"I'm examining all of their files. I want to see their strengths, their weaknesses…anything we can exploit."

"Who are you on now?" The assistant asked in his eager-to-please voice.

"I'm on…"

RUPERT JACQUES VON HAMSTERVIEL

Born on October 2nd, 1965. Current age: 39 years old. Possessing doctorate in "Mad Science" as well as several doctorates in Psychology, Chemistry, Neurology and Internal Medicine. Graduated Magna Cum Laude from Evil Genius University along with Jumba Jookiba and his brother, Jacques Rupert von Hamsterviel. Fluent in Basic, Galactic, French and German. After the death of his brother, Rupert had been suffering from a form of delusional psychosis. He truly believed he WAS his brother, copying his personality and habits. Around 2005, he was jettisoned out into space in an escape pod from the jail he was trapped on and frozen in suspended animation. He survived and landed in Kokaua Town. While his body is almost 40 years old, his mindset is still that of one who has yet to reach his 30th birthday, due to his brother's sudden and traumatic death. His strength and speed are considerably higher than normal Murideans, apparently due to training he undertook while in prison. He has a genius level IQ centering around creative talents and hands-on science.

"So what do we say his threat level is?"

"…high. Maybe not before, but with what he did to Senkoukura, who's STILL sick in his bed…"

"Yep. High."

"High, without a doubt."

"Okay then, high it is. Next up…"

DAVEIGH PELEKAI

Born on July 10th, 2083. Current age: 11 years old. She has above average intelligence, possibly genius level when it comes to art and manipulation of technology. She has extensive knowledge of experimental designs and weak points. Kind, friendly and a lover of wasp mummies, zombie flicks and time travel, Daveigh is the granddaughter of Lilo Pelekai and was given the name by her grandfather-

"…it stops there. Someone has been messing with the files."

"Based on what we know…threat level, what do you think?"

"…moderate. She's not to be ignored."

"No, no. Not at all."

"Who's next?"

SANDER PELEKAI

Born on March 12, 2062. Current age: 33 years old. High intelligence. He has inherited his father's strength and mother's agility. He has also inherited-to an extent-his mother's ability to turn bad experiments good and good experiments bad by way of musical output, although the subject must be weakened physically in order for it to work. Conceived on Kokaua Town Beach by his mother, experiment 624 and his father, experiment 626. He is "their special little Sandy" and is almost never seen without his sunglasses. Carries around a tiki necklace in his pocket constantly and is very superstitious. Has a deep connection with Daveigh Pelekai and although he tries to hide it beneath a mask of distrust, there is a connection between him and Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel. He has also inherited an inability to swim-

"Once again it cuts off."

"Threat level high?"

"High, without a doubt…"

"I wonder what the little hamster's doing right now?"

As it were, our furry little hamster hero was now in the dance hall, the very same dance hall that Lilo and her fellow children would do the hula in. He was not the only one in there though.

"Okay, now listen up. You don't take marijuana, which is smart on your part, but I'm better than you in a fight because not only can I bench press you with one pinky, but I barely feel a thing when I'm high. You, you're not high. You're gonna feel every pain." Chopsuey told Rupert, punching him lightly in the shoulder.

"OW."

"Like that! Just try and work through the pain."

Grey nodded. "

"Now listen. THIS…" Grey said, holding the mood ring he had given Rupert before up. "This, as you might have guessed, is a special little thing. It's not ordinary at all. It's an aura enhancement ring that Jumba designed on request for me, a birthday present. It ain't no "One Ring", but it works well once it bonds with the user the moment it's put on their finger…or claw…or digit. United States of WHATEVAH! Point is: The power you used was your aura, the shine, the glowing light that your heart emanates. Now remember: the strength of your aura and how it manifests all depends on your emotions and the strength of them. Since you were so furious at Senkoukura for all he'd done, your strength was quite considerable, enough to knock him down in his transformed state. Now remember, you're able to manifest your aura into physical power because you've got the gift like I do, and like Heartwing does to an extent."

"I can control light and manifest it how I please. That aura comes from the light energy that fills my heart, a light that never goes out. Grey has the power to charge his heart up through song, but his aura is centered primarily around mastery of the elements. From what you told us, your power seems to be similar to his. Emotion surged through you, you heard music and it stoked your aura to react, but it comes out not in _elemental_ power, but **emotional** power. So if you can channel the proper emotions…" Heartwing smiled. "There will be nothing you can't do."

"Now focus on a really happy memory. Think joyous and happy thoughts." Jude said.

"Here…you might need this." Grey said, handing Rupert the mood ring. Rupert put it on, then focused.

"This should be good." Jay laughed, holding up his video camera.

-Think…think back…-

-That first creation of an experiment…-

…

…

…

"_Is it almost ready yet?"_

"_No." _

_"Oh for-"_

"_It IS ready! Ha-ha-ha!"_

_"That was not that funny, what did you do that for, that was mean! We are trying to create LIFE, we have to be CAREFUL…"_

"_You just said the same word four times in the same sentence."_

_"I did? Ooh, my tongue is all tingly…"_

_Jumba, Rupert and Jacqes were now in the large, rounded room of Jumba's central lab. In front of them on a large computer console stand was a huge capsule with a formless being floating around inside. The design had been chosen, soon it would be activated._

_"Charge it." Jacques said as he fiddled nervously with his white lab coat. "It's time to bring it to life!"_

_Jumba grinned and brushed his long black hair back. Rupert bit his lip in anxiousness as Jumba lowered his hand and grabbed a large switch, pulling it down. A huge cable sprung out from the wall and attached itself to the capsule, latching on tight. Electricity flowed through the capsule as the being inside was properly charged. 50 percent…60 percent…70…80…90…_

_BING! The cable slunk back into the wall and smoke filled the capsule, leaking out throughout the lab. They all covered their eyes and shielded themselves slightly as the smoke died down. Finally they saw their creation in the capsule. It was small and light purple, with three smooth, rounded "legs" that made it look sort of like a miniature, living camera stand. It had a big mouth, small beady eyes and two rounded antennae. _

"_It's…it's alive…it's ALIVE!" Jacques shouted. "It worked! My machines worked!"_

_  
"My formulas were correct after all!" Jumba laughed. _

"_And look how my design turned out…" Rupert said, jumping on top of the capsule and pressing the button to lift it up. He smiled as he reached out. "Hey there little guy." He said, rubbing its head. _

_It squeaked slightly, closing its eyes and letting Rupert pat his head. Then Rupert lifted him up and held the experiment in his arms. "Aww, it's so warm and soft…" He said in awe. "Here…feel."_

_He handed it to Jumba, who rocked it back and forth. "It is so cute!" He stated. "Look at those little eyes."_

_Jacques bounded up and down. "Let me feel it, let me feel it!"_

"_Don't drop it!" Jumba warned him, handing the experiment to Jacques, who held it up to the light._

_"Oh, you're a BEAUTY!" He stated. "Gentlemen…we have created Experiment 001. Can you believe it?" _

"_We have to give it a name." Rupert said immediately. _

_Jumba rubbed his chin. "Alright…what shall we call him?"_

"_Well brother, you designed him to change people's sizes…but let's keep them in the dark about his other ability by naming him "Shrink"!" Jacques said, looking at the experiment with pride. _

"_Shrink", huh…alright! Sounds good!" Rupert stated. _

"_Shrink it is." Jumba laughed. _

A beautiful feeling of sheer joy filled him, brought back to shore by waves of nostalgia and for a moment he thought he heard beautiful instrumental music filling him, making his soul soar. He felt himself tearing up slightly and a pretty white aura shone around him.

He rose up, his eyes becoming pure white…and then he let loose a flash of light from his body.

He was now hovering in the air, with two sets of wings flapping, one from his shoulders, one from his sides. His fur was pearly white and shone beautifully and was soft as satin. He wore beautiful white robes with blue trimmings, and his eyes shone bright green. His nose had turned a light pink and when he spoke…

"I feel…quite good…oh!" He had no more faint European accent anymore. It was pure and ringing.

Grey held up a mirror. Rupert looked at himself and gasped. "I'm…I'm beautiful!" He gasped.

"You look like a kelupa, a Cherubim." Jude told him.

"A what?" Chopsuey asked.

"A Cherubim is an angel with four wings that has a general animalistic appearance." Jude explained.

Then a moment later, the aura bathed over Rupert again, and he was turned back to normal as he plopped down on his butt.

"Woah. I suppose it doesn't last long." Jay admitted.

"Like most of your dad's relationships! BURN!" Chopsuey laughed.

"Pa'a ka moe waha, druggie." Jay snarled.

"Oh, calm down you two!" Jude told them. "If Rueben was here, he'd want you two to get along."

"Oh, experiment…625? How…how is he?" Rupert asked, wheezing slightly.

"Gantu passed away 30 years ago. Rueben's now head of the Galactic Armada, promoted for brave valor and conduct in the line of duty. He still makes the greatest sandwiches there ever was too. I think he's coming to visit for Daveigh's baptism."

Rupert panted. "I…I feel really winded…" He told them.

"I suppose it puts a great strain on your body to manifest your aura like that." Grey said, rubbing his chin.

"Wait until I show Daveigh, she'll FLIP!" Rupert said proudly. Then he turned to Ashton, who was snoozing on the floor some distance away.

"Come on, Ashton. Are you awake?" He asked, going over to him and gently rocking him back and forth.

Ashton slowly opened his eyes and yawned. "All…all riiiiight." He yawned. "Let's go."

Ashton walked out of the dance hall. The experiments turned serious.

"How…how's he doin'?" Jay asked softly.

"He's…he's doing alright…" Rupert told them.

Ashton's parents had…they had had their lives tragically cut short during the attack a few days ago. Ashton was now a ward of the state half the time, except when Rupert was acting as a guardian pro tempore. He would remain so until the government of Hawaii could find more of Ashton's real family. Rupert had been a little nervous about looking after Ashton, but the two were close, like little and big brothers. He was determined to look after him as a proper guardian, but he had to fill out some forms before he could be accepted as a doctor at the local hospital of West Kauai Clinic.

"I hope that we can find Ashton's uncles and aunts. But they never seem to be in one place." Grey stated.

"Finder and his kids are working overtime, but they said they're closing in on them." Chopsuey told them all.

"I'll bet they're all messed up." Jay remarked. "They're probably drugged-up hippies."

"Would you lay off the drugged-up insults, kanapapiki?" Chopsuey growled.

"Make me, old man!" Jay shouted.

"Oh, I think I will, JENKINS."

"I told you never to call me that!"

The two growled and bared their fangs. Jude promptly whacked them over the head.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! Now you remember the good word: "Love thy neighbor as thyself or so help me, I'll SMACK you one"! Got it?!"

They mumbled out agreements. "Now come on, Rupert has to go with Ashton. We'll come back here tomorrow for another test, alright?" Jude told the hamster.

"Of course." Rupert said, nodding. He walked out of the dance hall to join Ashton. The two walked back to their house, with Ashton heading straight up the stairs.

"Need some time alone." He said.

"Here…" Rupert said, handing him a book. Ashton took it in his hands and looked it over. "I Am Not A Short Adult" was the title.

"Grey gave it to me. Said you should read it, that it helped him out a lot and it would help you too."

Ashton allowed a brief smile to pass over his face. "Thanks." He said to Rupert. "Tell Grey I said mahalo too." With that, he went to his room.

Rupert sighed. He hoped the book would do something, Ashton spent too much time in his room. Now then, it was still early in the morning, that meant it was time for a little baseball fun at the park!

LATER…

"Wow, you really turned into a cherubim? That's frickin' AWESOME!" Daveigh exclaimed.

The basebal game hadn't turned out so well, so Rupert had decided to leave early to chat with Daveigh after it had abruptly ended. The two of them were at the beach, walking along the sands. Rupert smiled nervously as Daveigh congratulated him. "Mahalo, Daveigh. Say, that's a nice name…why did your parents give you that name?"

"My parents named me after a famous actor." Daveigh said. "Unlike poor Jay, his dad thought it was "funny" giving him the name he did."

"Does Jay get along with his father at all?"

"Better than we thought he would."

"Do you think Leroy will ever feel bad for the things he's done? All the evil he committed?"

"Aia a ola hou o Kupanea. When Kupanea comes to life again."

"Pardon?"

"It means never-ever-ever."

"Ohhhh. Alright. Say, school will be starting in two days, won't it?"

"Yeah." Daveigh mumbled, picking up a dandelion and sniffing it. She wasn't really paying attention, she'd zoned out when he'd said "school".

"Your grades are good, right?"

"Sure, sure." Sniff-sniff.

Rupert remembered something he'd read in the paper in the "Just for Kids" part of the "Life" section of the school paper. "Don't you have to take the SATs when you get back?"

Daveigh suddenly held her stomach. "Ooh, I'm hungry!"

"Right. Let's go get some lunch!" Rupert agreed.

"Hot dogs?" Daveigh asked.

"Okay, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give them a try…what are they made of?"

"Pork."

"…uh…do they make veggie dogs?"

"Yes."

"Oh, well I'll try one of those…"

The two traveled across the beach to a nearby hot dog stand, each ordering their lunch. Rupert paid, of course. After scarfing them down, Daveigh came up with an idea…

"How about we build sandcastles?" She asked.

"Okay…but I've never built any in my life…" Rupert admitted.

That wasn't a problem though. "Here, this way." Daveigh said, taking Rupert by the hand and leading him over to a nice spot. "Just take a rest for a second while I go rent some sandcastle toys…"

FIVE MINUTES LATER…

Rupert had been taking a little nap…but when he woke up he was encased in sand from chin to toe. "What the?"

"Now watch." Daveigh said, taking a large castle-shaped little boy and scooping up some wet sand. She then placed it on his stomach, and it formed a box. "Now you add some more…and some more…"

A few moments and some fine-touching later…

"Ta-da."

"Wow. Nice." Rupert admitted.

"I'll call it Camelot."

"I call it an itch on my stomach OOOH! OOOH!" He was now squirming around. "It stiiiings!"

Daveigh helped Rupert out of the sand and smiled. "How about I teach you how to surf?"

Rupert blinked. "Really? I kinda always wanted to surf…"

Surfing, however, was not as easy as it looked. Rupert kept squirming around on the board and was shaking slightly. Daveigh, in her teal swimsuit laughed as she stood right behind him on the board as they sailed down a wave. "Just relax, okay?"

"R-right…I'm relaxed…I'm relaxed…" Rupert told himself. "I'm…"

SPLOOOOSH!

"I can't swim, I can't swim! HEEELLPPP!!"

Daveigh managed to pull him out of the water. He panted heavily as he lay on the sand, arms sprayed out.

"You know, I…I think I'm just gonna…just gonna lie here and look at the clouds…"

"That…that sounds like a good idea…" Daveigh said.

The two of them lay there on the beach for a long time, looking and pointing at the puffy white clouds that passed by. They laughed and chatted it up at the different shapes they saw, and Rupert found himself warming up quickly, the chill from falling off the board vanishing.

Soon it became a little bit darker out. Rupert turned to Daveigh.

"How about I take you out to dinner?" He asked.

"Well there is this nice place called "Ariel's Aerie", it-oh wait, I can't go yet…I'm not 15."

"Why can't you get in until 15?"

"I have to be 15 years old and with an adult to enter a bar. Those are the rules."

"Well, there IS this great little Italian restaurant…they make wonderful salads…"

Dinner was indeed great. They acquired a nice table just across from a stage where singers performed for the throngs in the restaurant. Rupert lifted a clump of seasoned lettuce with a tomato to his mouth and began chewing, while Daveigh slurped up a strand of spaghetti.

"You're really quite a gentleman!" Daviegh laughed. "I feel like a princess."

Rupert turned slightly red. "Oh, it's…it's nothing, really…"

"No, it…it means a lot to me. I don't…I don't really have that many close friends who would be willing to do this for me, so…mahalo." Daveigh said, a nervous tone entering her voice.

"Well, uh…I don't usually get to eat out much either…I mean, Ashton's always wanting to eat in silence at the house and…and well, I don't have too many other friends…" Rupert admitted, looking away slightly.

Then somebody on the stage who was playing a piano took a request. Rupert and Daveigh sat calmly, listening to the music as the man sang out beautifully, the words filling the restaurant.

_You must remember this…a kiss is still a kiss…a sigh…is just a sigh…_

_The fundamental things…apply…as time goes byyyy…_

_Moonlight and love songs…never out of date…_

_Hearts filled with passion…jealousy and hate…_

_Woman needs man and man must have his mate…_

_That no one can deny…_

_It's still the same old story…a fight for love and glory…_

_A caaaase of do or die…_

_The world will always welcome lovers…as time goes by…_

_The wooorld will always welcome lovers…_

_As time…goes…byyyyyyyyy…_

"Movie?" Daviegh asked after it was done and Rupert had signed the check.

"Sure thing!" Rupert said happily.

The movie choice Daveigh picked out was a movie starring an Alien and a Predator and-

"By the love of Sude…" Rupert groaned. "I'm surprised the Catholic Church didn't ban this movie."

"Well, I think they DID."

"Really?" Rupert asked.

After the movie, they both walked outside of the theater, and noticed Jude was about to enter the theater as well. "Hey Jude! What's happening?" Daveigh asked.

"I'm going to see "The Passion of St. Tiberius" as an official delegate of the Catholic Church. This way we can get a proper opinion of the movie. I AM a representative of the Mother Church, I have to take this seriously."

"The Catholic Church comments about movies?" Rupert asked.

"When the movie is centered around Religion, like that awful Alien vs Predator vs Jesus movie that they've got playing…you didn't see it, did you?"

Daveigh shut her mouth. Rupert opened his.

"Oh absolutely NOT! Why, the mere travesty of it all…I know that Hollywood is filled with copycats, but there's just no excuse for them to play the religion card like they tried to do with that movie."

"I'm glad we agree on that! Take care!" Jude said, waving goodbye as he entered the theater.

"You saved my skin!" Daveigh said. "He would have been so angry with me if he found out I saw that movie, and he's supposed to baptize a month from now…" She promptly flung her arms around Rupert and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Rupert! You're so sweet!"

Rupert felt a wave of warmth wash over him, and a fuzzy feeling rose up. He hugged her right back. "It's nothing…really…" He said softly.

"Well, well, look who's all red in the face…"

Rupert recognized that voice. Dimly, but the recognition was still there. He and Daveigh turned their heads. Daveigh looked a bit worried, but politely replied "Hello Esmeralda."

"Hey there, Davey-girl." Esmeralda said. It was that literally devilish-looking female experiment that Rupert had seen before, who'd harassed Ashton, the one that Grey had spooked with his flying. She really was quite hot this close, but he didn't like her kind of girl. "What a HANDSOME man you are for a 40-year-old gerbil."

"HAMSTER!" Rupert snapped.

"His name is RUPERT." Daveigh said, stomping her foot.

"What's in a name?" Esmeralda said, shrugging. She grinned and showed off her perfectly sculpted teeth. "What's interesting is that nobody's eaten you yet. I suppose they think you're trustworthy enough after you went and saved Kauai. But I've still got my eye on you…"

She promptly walked over and shoved Daveigh aside, bending down and licking Rupert's cheek as she got on all fours, slinking over to him. "Until I eat you, you'll be the only one I'll think about, _doctor_…" She whispered, suddenly nicking him with a small bite to his cheek and tasting the blood. Laughing in an almost musical fashion, she got up and walked away, head held high.

"She's so creepy." Daveigh said. "You alright?" She asked Rupert, who held his cheek with one paw.

"I'd best be heading back…" He mumbled. "And I'm gonna have to start locking the windows…and wearing fire-retardant pants…"

The two of them walked back to Rupert's house. Ashton was on the couch, engrossed by a new book, "Problem Child from Hell". Rupert made the call for Daveigh's mother and father to pick her up, and a few minutes later the "honk-honk" of the car alerted them both that they were there.

"Well, mahalo plenty for the great time I had today Rupert." Daveigh said.

Rupert got on one knee and kissed her hand. "It was my pleasure, milady!" He said chivalrously.

Daveigh giggled. "Oh, you're such a ham, Hammy! But that's cute, too!" She blushed slightly, then walked towards the car, turning around. "Aloha! Hope to see you again soon!"

Rupert waved goodbye to Daveigh as her family drove her away, a big grin still left upon his face as he opened the door to the Edmond's home and walked inside.

There, out of all people, was none other than Sandy Pelekai.

**BGM: All in All, by Lifehouse**

Sandy was vivid. He was shaking slightly, and had thrown his sunglasses to the ground. He crunched them under his heel as he growled and the fur on his body bristled.

"What…do you think…you're doing…" He hissed at Rupert.

"What do you mean?" Rupert asked.

"I was watching EVERYTHING. I saw EVERYTHING you did today! Taking her out to lunch at the beach and playing in the sand, seeing you go surfboarding with her…"

Rupert noticed that Sandy was slowly advancing towards him. But for some reason he wasn't afraid so much as confused…and angry.

"Taking her out to dinner…going to see that movie with her…that hug you shared…the kiss you gave her hand…the way you walked and talked, the…the AURA around you…what the F—K do you think you're doing!?" Sandy snarled.

_So you lost yourself…so you lost your way…_

Rupert finally couldn't take Sandy's attitude. "Fine! You want to know? I'll tell you! Daviegh is special and wonderful and amazing! You want to know why I did those things? I love her, Sandy, I admit it! I LOVE her!"

_All in all it's just another day now…forming down what you gonna do!_

"NO, NO!" Sandy snarled. He gripped his forehead, claws digging in slightly in horror and fury. "You can't love her, you CAN'T!"

"Why NOT!?" Rupert shouted back. "Why can't I love her?!"

_Stand tall, it's going on, it's going on…_

"Because _I_ love her!" Sandy howled.

And then…absolute, stunned silence for one crystallizing moment.

_It's gonna be just fiiine…you're holding on, holding on today…_

"We're in trouble…aren't we?" Rupert asked softly.

"Yeah." Sandy whispered.

_Time's holdin' on…holdin' on today…_

"So…where we gonna go from here?" Rupert asked, crossing his arms.

_It's going on…going on today…_

**Sneak preview time! Yippee!**

__

Immediately it felt like he was soaring up, up a red and white space helmet on his body as he crashed through the roof of a church, passing by the neon cross. He swirled up into the heavenly bodies above, and tumbled around as a plethora of colors assaulted his vision. Finally he found himself in the familiar cockpit of his old ship, the one he'd so happily driven to many missions in.

He strapped himself in and put his familiar old brown jumpsuit back on. "Let's rock." He roared, firing up the turbines.

...

_"Great job, great job!" Chopsuey laughed as he raised his glass. "Keep it going!"_

_"I dislike this with great intensity right now." Grey shouted back. "Almost as much as that stupid hospital!"_

_"I said, KEEP IT GOING." Chopsuey hollered, focusing his mind. Grey's head was assaulted again by Chopsuey and although he could resist it, he partially didn't want to (he HAD hit a baseball clear through a 500 dollar window) and he wasn't in the mood to go at it with Scratchy boy._

_..._

_"So how are the kids?" Bonnie asked as they walked towards the town. The plan was first to get some ice cream, then visit the bookstore so that Jude could pick up a notepad to write down comments on the movie._

_"Oh, Frank reminds me so much of myself. He and Victoria have their whole lives ahead of them and I can't believe how much work I had to do in changing their diapers, caring for Frank when Carmen was breast-feeding Victoria…I tell you, Victoria would sometimes spend 24 hours a day nursing…"_

_"Where did she put it all, da goil is practically a stick!"_

_"I know, I know. They grow up so darn fast." Chopsuey laughed._


	13. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

"Who's next on the list?"

Tappity-tap-tap…

CHOPSUEY WUWALU  
Experiment 621. Due to the complications that arose from Jumba's computer, we are unable to locate his or any of the other 625 experiments exact creation dates. We estimate he was created sometime in the year 2000. He has similar functions and abilities like experiment 626, Stitch, only he is slightly smarter, taller, faster and most interestingly of all, capable of telepathy. He is able to read minds over a large scale area, and has a unique DNA signature that is capable of mutating his body when other DNA strains are introduced into his bloodstream. During his "mutation" form, he grows to be larger than 20 feet according to reports, and has a certain "air of malice" within him. When he's overly excited while high, his voice reaches a high pitch. Initially he hated 626, and considered him a rival, somebody to hate. However the two of them finally put aside their differences and now get along. He is currently happily married to experiment 123, Carmen, and the two have a daughter, Victoria, and a son, Frank."

"Threat level…high, don't you think?"

"Definitely high."

"He's such a train wreck. Doesn't he wear, like, hemp underwear?"

"Hey, I do too. It's awesome! Except when the hemp goes into your bloodstream. Then it's awesomer!"

" ..ugh. And his wife?"

"Oh yeah, Carmen…what does it say about her?"

CARMEN WUWALU

Experiment 123. Similar in design to experiment 624. Refuses to divulge true age, weight or height. Her primary function is to get others to dance along to her infectious Latin beats. Many times in the past they would dance until they drop…and sometimes this would mean drop dead. History is said to be "complicated". When she is not with her dear husband Chopsuey, she can be seen hanging around Belle and Link, her old friends. She has a daughter named Victoria and a son named Frank. Victoria has inherited her mother's Latin heritage and dancing skills while her son takes after her father…

"I'd say moderate-"

"Wait. Listen: It says she has a mutated form that is just as dangerous as her husbands, and she doesn't need to introduce DNA into her bloodstream to access it."

"Oh…yes, I…I remember that. Oh she was FREAKY!"

"High, then?"

"High. Who's next?"

"That choir boy…"

JUDE KAUĀ

The son of experiment 618 and 620. His body gives off a crystalline glow due to the unique energy pattern that was created during his conception. His overall design form is similar to his father's. Conceived through in-vitro fertilization, Jude was given the name by his mother, wanting to be give him a name that would prepare him for the priesthood. He is currently a choir boy and is considered one of the best singers on the island, and inherited both his father's ability to possess people and his mother's ability to create crystals in any shape and form. Normally gentle and understanding, he has extensive knowledge of Scripture and spiritual matters.

"What should we give him?"

"Moderate-high. He's not as bad as Sandy, Chopsuey, Carmen or Rupert because he spends so much time at the church and he follows Catholic dogma highly. He wouldn't even sit on a fly unless he was ordered to by his superior. Alone he's no big threat..."

"But if he's not?"

"High."

"Fair enough. I don't like Chopsuey, who knows what he does when we're all not looking?"

Chopsuey twirled the needle between his fingers, moving it from one space between to another, as he hummed a song. He then looked left, then right.

He was hiding out in an old tree-house that was in the park, abandoned years ago. It was still 6 o'clock, bright and early, so nobody was here nor would be there for several hours. Meaning he had time to kill…with a poison that kills slowly, as some said.

He plunged the needle into his arm at a vein and injected the pale green fluid into his bloodstream.

Immediately it felt like he was soaring up, up a red and white space helmet on his body as he crashed through the roof of a church, passing by the neon cross. He swirled up into the heavenly bodies above, and tumbled around as a plethora of colors assaulted his vision. Finally he found himself in the familiar cockpit of his old ship, the one he'd so happily driven to many missions in.

He strapped himself in and put his familiar old brown jumpsuit back on. "Let's rock." He roared, firing up the turbines.

_Fire it on up and let's cruise a while,  
Leave your troubles far behind!  
You can hedge your bet on a clean Corvette,  
To get you there right on time! _

_Now if you're ready to dive into overdrive,  
Baby the green lights are on!  
It's like you're running your brain on some high  
octane, every time she reaches fully blown!_

_Won't you take that ride-ride-ride-ride on Heavy Metaaaaal?  
It's the only way that you can travel down that rooooaaaaaaad!  
Satisfied-fied-fied-fied, on heavy metaaaaaal,  
Baby won't you riiiiide, ride it until it explooooodes!_

_Heeeaaavy Metaaaaal!_

"Take…me out to the ball game! Take…me out to the crowd! Buy me some peanuts and crackerjack…"

It was a bright Sunday morning at 10:00, and our little ragtag group of do-gooders had gathered at the baseball field. Slugger's son Strikeout was pitching, and who should be at bat, but…

"I wanna PITCHER, not a glass of water!" Grey laughed.

"Zip it!" Legion shouted from the outfield.

"Every time he's up at bat! You silly!" Heartwing laughed on first base.

"Yeah, well we wanna BATTER, not a broken ladder!" Ashton shouted back from second base. He was learning!

Rupert, who was the catcher, addressed the umpire, who was none other than Daveigh. .

"Um…what I did when I saved the town…it wasn't…wasn't MAGIC, was it?"

"In a sense, yes. It is magic, magic of the heart." Daveigh told him. "But elemental magic, black or white magic…what you did was nothing along _those_ lines. You know, experiments can't really use magic for the most part…it has to do with their origin. They're firmly grounded in science, so while they may be able to see it demonstrated, they can't perform it."

"Though there are exceptions. Some Experimental Americans can perform miracles...still, overall, humans have one up on them, since **they're** the primary users of magic. Even much alien life turned away from it…" Grey told Rupert.

"Aha?" Rupert asked in Hawaiian, putting his mask on.

Grey shrugged. "They felt they didn't need it anymore. The thing is…magic exists for those who believe in it." Then he grinned. "Kind of like love…and friendship…and _ohana. _Say, your Hawaiian is getting good, by the way...but what I want to know is how come you're able to speak German and French?" Grey asked. "It's pretty interesting."

"German and French?...oh, OH. No-no-no!" Rupert said, shaking his head. "It is simply simple: my home country of Alsalorr on Planet Jennet has two languages that dominate it…the fact that the languages sound like languages here on Earth are probably either coincidence, or perhaps…" He rubbed his chin. "…perhaps they brought the languages here with them…my people do tend to travel to remote places in the interests of escaping predatory aliens."

"Score one for the crazy theorists like Daveigh and I. Well, time to hit a home run!" Grey said happily.

Rupert made a "two" sign underneath his catcher's mitt, while Daviegh yelled out "PLAY BALL" and the game began.

But it seemed that the game was over before it began, because the moment Grey's baseball bat connected with the ball, sending it flying through the air in an almost straight right turn…going through a nearby house window. Specifically, Clyde and Bonnie's house window. The two had successfully managed to get a job recovering stolen goods from, you guessed it, other thieves. And not only were they incredible at their jobs and paid handsomely, but they also got to keep mementos. Like the solid gold statues in the living room, the beautiful piano in the dining hall, the crystal chandelier…or rather, crystal CHANDELIERS. What can we say? Bonnie likes expensive chandeliers. Clyde, in fact, was also the godfather of Chopsuey's kids…the two couples were quite close.

"It's probably a good idea for us to go over and apologize. I'm sure Clyde will forgive us if we ask. To err is human, to forgive, divine. Alexander Pope." Jude remarked as he walked off of third base and they all started heading towards the nearby house.

Then Clyde poked his head out of the window.

"WHEN I'M THROUGH WITH YOU JERKS, _**MY WINDOW AIN'T GONNA BE THE ONLY THING THAT'S BROKEN**_!"

"Run away. Monty Python." Grey quoted.

They all promptly bolted. Clyde groaned as he stuck his head back in and turned to Bonnie. "They broke the window. Again." He said, giving her a familiar look.

"…fine, fine, I'll fix it." Bonnie muttered, sitting up. "Sheesh. Can't those maroons watch where theyse doin'?"

Even after all these years, she still had that familiar Chicago accent.

"Right. I'm going down to the store." Clyde said, putting on a coat and walking out of the bedroom. Bonnie rubbed her sore temples and hopped out of bed…

After going outside with the toolkit to fix up the window, she noticed a familiar-looking green and white experiment was giggling on the ground in a high-pitched tone.

Oh f—k it, She groaned inside her head. She ran over to the hose and promptly turned it on 621…unfortunately he seemed to LIKE this, now muttering something about "soapy suds".

So she settled for the next best thing. She whacked him over the head. Hard.

"OW!" He shouted, sitting up. "The hell!? Oh…oops. Hi Bonnie."

"Hey Chops." She said. "How many hits did it take?" She asked.

"Oh, uh, I…I just shot some concentrated wormwood mix into my bloodstream."

"You have GOT to lay off that stuff." Bonnie said, helping him up. "Now come on, you can help me fix the window…"

"Alright, but where's Clyde?" Chopsuey asked. "Shouldn't he be helping you?"

"He…uh…he went to the store." Bonnie said quietly.

"Oh, well I'll still help." Chopsuey asked. "In fact…I have an idea…who broke your window?"

A FEW MINUTES LATER…

Chopsuey clinked lemonade glasses with Bonnie as Grey began putting the pieces of the window back together.

"Great job, great job!" Chopsuey laughed as he raised his glass. "Keep it going!"

"I dislike this with great intensity right now." Grey shouted back. "Almost as much as that stupid hospital!"

"I said, KEEP IT GOING." Chopsuey hollered, focusing his mind. Grey's head was assaulted again by Chopsuey and although he could resist it, he partially didn't want to (he HAD hit a baseball clear through a 500 dollar window) and he wasn't in the mood to go at it with Scratchy boy.

"Anyhow, thanks a ton. I 'preciate you doin' this fa me." Bonnie said. "Yer always a real pal."

"No problem." Chopsuey said. "It's like old times, isn't it?"

…

…

…

"_You can help us out , right?" 149 asked 621. They were walking down the hallways in Jumba's lab, engrossed in conversation._

_  
"Of course. I'll be glad to help. It's no big deal, really." _

"_I'm glad. Thanks, man." Bonnie said. _

_She and Clyde were in huge trouble. Some of Jumba's special stock of watermelon had been missing, and he LOVED watermelon. Spitting out the seeds at experiments passing by was only half the fun! _

_Naturally, being the best thieves in the lab, 149 and 150 had been blamed. It would be up to Chopsuey to testify as to what they'd been doing last night and who had truly stolen the watermelon. Jumba wanted to meet with all three of them, since they'd supposedly spent the night playing board games in 621's room. _

_The doors to Jumba's office slid open. Jumba was sitting behind his desk, hands folded. He sighed as they each sat down._

_"Am needing complete and total truth. No lies. Now then, we will begin with you, 149. What were you doing last night?"_

"_I was in 621's room. I was winning "Monopoly "Star Wars" edition, the one you'd brought from Earth."_

_Jumba grinned nostalgically. "Good times…good times…anyhow, 150, what were YOU doing?"_

_"I was cheating at Monopoly, "Star Wars" edition."_

_"Of course you were. 621 my son, what were you doing?"_

"_I was losing Monopoly, "Star Wars" edition." 621 mumbled in defeat._

_Jumba began laughing. He managed to stop himself, then wiped his eyes. "Now I want an explanation for who stole my watermelon. I want to talk to you two thieves first. 621, leave the room."_

_621 left the room, nodding. But the moment he'd left he put one ear to the door to listen in._

"_Now I think that one of you stole it…or both. Now if one of you tells the TRUTH right here and now, you will be receiving reprieve, understanding?" _

"…_er…"_

_"Uh…"_

"_Now then, who took my watermelon? Wanting answers."_

"_We…um…"_

"_I didn't…I…"_

_621 KNEW, from the tone of 150, that he was cracking. He didn't do well under pressure and blabbed, just like149 lied constantly when it came to being interrogated. He burst into the room, a sincere look of desperation and regret on his face._

_"Father, I'M the one who took the watermelon." He admitted. "I…I can't let them take the fall."_

_Jumba looked back from them to 621. Then he sighed. "I can't stay mad at you. Go, go. Will just order more from internet." He told them. _

_149, 150 and 621 left the room, then all cheered as they had left the hallway and entered 621's room again. "You sly dog!" 149 laughed. "Thanks!"_

_"It's nothing, really. I've got your back."_

"I hate this as much as I hate LEROY!" Grey howled. "Him and all of his fleas!"

"Why do you hate Leroy so much?" Chops asked.

"I…I hate Leroy Mākaia, I think he may, in fact, be the devil in disguise, even though it's not much of a disguise. I…I honestly want to bite him sometimes."

"Well, why, kid?" Bonnie wanted to know.

"Sir Stinks-A-Lot reached a level of sadism as yet untouched by Rupert or his brother!" Grey shouted back. "Granted his brother got close, but…well as much as I hate to say this about a good friend, Rupert is a messed up mouse and his brother was a wascally wabbit! The only really GOOD authority figures in their lives were killed off thanks to the Galactic Federation, their parents pumped them full with a sense of loyalty to twisted family ideals since they were kids, evil was all Jacques knew, and the only reason Rupert didn't get to be as nearly as bad as his brother was, I suspect, because he made a genuinely good friend early and he had somebody to lean on! Jacques had nobody except himself. Both were picked on and teased mercilessly, Rupert's girlfriend was EATEN and Jacques was killed off while trying to outdo a bully who'd been tormenting him for years…they have reasons for why they turned out the way they did!"

"And Leroy?"

"Leroy's only evil because one: he was designed to be mean and two: he CHOOSES to be evil because he likes the acts associated with them! At least Rupert was thrust into terrible circumstances, and Jacques had few, if any, choices that could give him a chance to change…Leroy had plenty of chances to do something really good with his life and he threw them all away! He betrayed the people who made him, betrayed his clones by leaving them to be wiped out in the second invasion, he abandoned his own bastard child and left it behind on the island instead of taking him with him, he betrayed my mother who tried to befriend him and he betrayed my father who had spared his life once before, MURDERING him! **I WANT HIM TO _DIE_!!**" Grey snarled.

That got Bonnie and Clyde looking intently at him. Grey spat on the ground, then went back to the window.

"But hey, what do I know…I'm just a stupid beast…" He muttered.

"Hey! Chopsuey! Bonnie! Grey!"

The three of them turned their heads and saw Jude approaching from the road, looking quite pleased with himself. "I have received a hologram message from the Pope himself. He wants representatives of the Catholic Church to examine the latest movie from Hollywood: The Passion of St. Tiberius is what it's called."

"Oh yeah…I've been meaning to see that…" Bonnie thought out loud.

"I heard it was pretty good." Chopsuey admitted. "Say, how about we all go see it tonight? I've got no plans, Carmen's going to chill out at home with the kids…what do you think about it?"

"Well, I'll call up Clyde and see if he can-"

Bonnie's house phone rang. Grey blinked. "Hold up!" He said, his attitude changing. Then he leapt off the ladder, focusing his aura. It swirled around him as he whizzed through the open door, landing inside the house and putting the phone to his ear. "Hello? Hello? Oh, hi Clyde! Yeah, Bonnie's outside with Chopsuey, the two are forcing me to fix your window-what? Ooh, that sounds like it hurt. I'll tell them."

Grey walked back outside, looking rather nervous. "Uh…Clyde slipped and fell while he was at the store, and a rack of cereal and dried foods fell on him. He'll be at the hospital all night."

"…well, I guess I'm free for tonight. Let's all go see the movie, then."

"All right!" Grey exclaimed.

"Not you." Chopsuey said.

"Why not!?"

"Because you're still holding onto my phone and the cord has snapped."

Grey looked down and saw that, yes the cord had snapped for the phone line. "Aw, for the love of…AARRRGGGHH!" He jumped up and down, growling angrily.

Chopsuey, Bonnie and Jude laughed as they walked off, leaving Grey alone. He kicked the ground.

"Phooey! Now I gotta find a store that sells the exact make of phone…I know. Where's Slick's located again? He stocks EVERYTHING…"

It was weird how some people change. 621 used to be quite dangerous, a true killer. Now he was really very mellow most of the time. And Bonnie and Clyde had finally settled down after all these years, halting their petty crime sprees…and ironically enough, they were known for donating proceeds to charities.

"So how are the kids?" Bonnie asked as they walked towards the town. The plan was first to get some ice cream, then visit the bookstore so that Jude could pick up a notepad to write down comments on the movie.

"Oh, Frank reminds me so much of myself. He and Victoria have their whole lives ahead of them and I can't believe how much work I had to do in changing their diapers, caring for Frank when Carmen was breast-feeding Victoria…I tell you, Victoria would sometimes spend 24 hours a day nursing…"

"Where did she put it all, da goil is practically a stick!"

"I know, I know. They grow up so darn fast." Chopsuey laughed.

The two of them kept talking over two cones of Mint Chocolate Chip while Jude ordered "Sherbet Swirl". Then, after a trip to the bookstore, they arrived at the movie theater. Chopsuey held the door open for Bonnie, grinning.

"Ladies first."

"You foolah!" She laughed, going inside. Jude, who had fallen behind slightly, ran towards the theater, then stopped to catch his breath. He was about to go in when…

"Hey Jude! What's happening?" Daveigh asked. Jude turned and noticed she and Rupert had just left the theater exit.

"I'm going to see "Passion of St. Tiberius" as an official delegate of the Catholic Church. This way we can get a proper opinion of the movie. I AM a representative of the Mother Church, I have to take this seriously." Jude explained, putting one paw upon his chest and closing his eyes as he bowed his head slightly in humbleness.

"The Catholic Church comments about movies?" Rupert asked.

"When the movie is centered around Religon, like that awful Alien vs Predator vs Jesus movie that they've got playing…you didn't see it, did you?" He asked, looking at them both.

Daveigh shut her mouth. Rupert opened his.

"Oh absolutely NOT! Why, the mere travesty of it all…I know that Hollywood is filled with copycats, but there's just no excuse for them to play the religion card like they tried to do with that movie."

"I'm glad we agree on that! Take care!" Jude said, smiling at them, waving goodbye as he entered the theater.

TWO HOURS LATER…

"…you know, I'm **sure** Saint Tiberius wore more clothes than that." Jude remarked as he exited the theater with Bonnie and Chopsuey.

"Ta da!" Grey said, walking over to them and tossing a wadded-up paper ball at Chopsuey. "Take a gander, Scratchy boy!"

Chopsuey opened it up. "What the?"

"Slick stocks everything. I also upgraded your cell phone system. You know what that means…"

Chopsuey blinked. "Oh come on…you darn haole!"

"Hey, I'm no foreigner. I'm a Hawaiian through and through. And YOU now owe ME a favor. See you later, alligator! I sense an opportunity to be myself coming THIS way." He pointed straight to the right, then laughed as he walked off.

"By the way…remember when St. Tiberius was trying to grab that banana?" Jude asked.

"That wasn't a banana he was grabbing." Bonnie remarked.

"Well I didn't really see too many things wrong with it. Besides all that sex it was very historically accurate…as far as it went. I mean, granted we don't know much about what happened to Saint Tiberius and how he died and whatnot, but the liberties they took were very historically accurate all the same…"

"Except for the fact that all those clothes kept coming off. Hey, I'll see you around, Chops." Bonnie said, giving Chopsuey a quick hug before she headed off.

Chopsuey let out a happy sigh. "Bonnie's really nice, isn't she? She deserves better than that tubbo loser Clyde, he's becoming so lazy!"

"He's your best friend, your godfather, Mr. Wuwalu." Jude said. "Where's the love, where's you siding with the person you care about?"

Chopsuey looked at him, then at the distant figure of Bonnie.

"Oh my God." Jude said softly. "That's what you're doing…isn't it?" He asked.

And with that, he walked off. Chopsuey looked down at the ground, then kicked it slightly before he headed off for the bar.

After a couple shots, he was feeling a little bit more unwound, but he was in no way or shape ready for what happened next…

"I saw you leave the theater with my wife, Chops." Clyde said, approaching him from the right of the bar. "What's going on?"

"We just went out-wait…why are you not in the hospital?"

"Let me out early." Clyde said to him. "Turns out I wasn't as hurt as I thought…"

"Liar. You've been here, drinking all night." The green, Mohawk-wearing experiment snarled. A simple peek into his mind had revealed the word "LIE" all over what Clyde had just said. "You don't deserve her!" Chopsuey shouted.

"Wh-WHAT?!" Clyde asked.

By now everyone else who was in the bar had stopped drinking and was now looking intently at Clyde and Chopsuey.

"You.Don't.Deserve.Her." Chopsuey spelled it out. "She's funny and sweet and she always cleans up the messes you should, and all you do is go and hang out and do whatever the hell you want! You're just a selfish, big BUM." He said that last word with a lot of spite as he jammed one clawed finger into Clyde's stomach.

Clyde still had his metallic arm, and he now slapped Chopsuey's hand away hard. "And you're one ta TALK?! You're a f—kin' druggie! I'm surprised Carmen hasn't left you yet, in fact, I think the only reason she puts up with you and that smell of put that lingers around you all the time is that she popped out two kids and she can't deal with them on her own!" He roared.

Chopsuey promptly crushed the shot glass in his other hand, and spat on Clyde. Clyde kicked Chopsuey in the knee.

Then the two were on the ground, rolling and snarling and biting as they attacked each other…

**Sneak preview fun time!! Now with extra !! at the top!!**

_"He murdered his father? Why doesn't anyone take him down? Arrest him?" Ashton asked._

_Eclipse had heard that. He turned around and tilted his head slightly. "I suppose you'd try and take me in, wouldn't you?"_

_"Yeah, I WOULD, ya lousy-" Ashton began._

_Then Eclipse gave him a smile. It wasn't a nice one. "Tell me who is precious to you. Give me the pleasure of taking them away."_

_..._

_Riiing…riiiing…_

_"Hello?" Daveigh asked._

_"Hey Daveigh. Uh…have…have I ever thanked you for all the times you tried to open up to me?"_

_Daveigh, on the other end, beamed. "Do-don't sweat it, it's nothing…"_

_..._

_"You treat the enslavement and death of millions so lightly?" Heartwing asked._

_"It's all for the best. It's what everyone wants." Eclipse said coolly._

_"No. It's just what you want." Heartwing snarled._

_"Actually it's not just what I want. It's what more people want than you think. You cannot deny it. Humanity is flawed. Experimentkind is flawed. Change is needed, drastic change. Rupert will bring about that change as the supplanter. It is simply a matter of continuing a cycle that has been occurring for years. If it ain't broke...don't fix it, right?" He asked, grinning slightly._


	14. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

"Who's next on the list?"

"Let me see…oh. How interesting…"

LEGION KOʻOKOʻO

Experiment 627, created in the year 2003 on November 24th. He possesses powers belonging to 626, 625, 621, 611, 607, 606, 603, 601, 523, 513, 383, 375, 355, 303, 262, 228, 221, and 133, as well as having Telekinetic abilities. He isn't as smart as many of the other experiments and for a great deal of time was considered a "freak" even by experimental standards due to his sheer cruelty, his violent nature and the fact that he can sprout a second head. Amazingly after several years of being shot down he settled down with the recently-divorced Belle and had two children, Bellatrix and David. He used to suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder, or Multiple Personality Disorder until he got it under control with psychiatric help. He is currently employed with Island Security and has a "powerful sex drive".

"…I didn't need to read that. Threat level?"

"Oh, Very High."

"I'd say so."

"Can you pick somebody who's NOT a sick pervert?"

"That means filtering out a good 40 percent of the experimental population, not including those who are just sick, which accounts for another 20…"

"Ourselves included, ha-ha-ha!"

"You in BOTH categories. Now shut up. I'm looking at…"

ASHTON EDMONDS

Born on April 16th, 2083, Ashton Edmonds is the son of Marx and Miranda Edmonds. Current Age: 11 years old. Ashton Edmonds is known for being not merely smart, but for being too smart for his own good. He has a hard time making and keeping friends, and he is generally hated by a good portion of the experiments in Kokaua Town due to his antagonistic attitude towards them, although recently he has been more tolerant and accepting. His few true friends include Daveigh Pelekai, Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel, Sandy Pelekai and the experiment known only as Grey. We have reason to believe that Ashton has highly advanced intelligence when it comes to schoolwork centering around mathematics. He also apparently has some untapped skill with firearms.

"Threat level?"

"…low-moderate. We might want to keep an eye on him, but I doubt it."

"Who's next?"

HEARTWING KŌ'AO

Experiment 421. Created by Jumba using Light Energy, a power source he personally discovered on the wreckage of a destroyed planet. Light energy itself is centered around positive emotions like joy, happiness, kindness and love, and therefore Heartwing is a naturally gentle and sweet creature. However justice and righteous fury are emotions emanating from Light Energy, and when those he cares for are endangered, Heartwing becomes incredibly dangerous. His hobbies include chasing after butterflies, flying around town to stop and give people hugs, standing on his head to look at animals upside-down and being helpful to others.

"So…I'd say low-moderate as well. He's not really that dangerous, like Ashton…"

"And he hardly ever fights…okay, low-moderate EXCEPT when angered. Then he's very high on the threat level."

"What do you think that that Ashton kid does in HIS spare time now that his parents bit the dust?"

"Hey, show SOME respect. He deserves some pity."

"…he does?"

"…okay…"

Ashton put the book down and looked at the clock. 9:30. He needed to take a break. Something different than staying in his room all the time…

He needed to talk to someone. But although Rupert was like a great older brother to him, he didn't really understand in just that right way.

Heartwing though…that dragon…

Ashton knew that Heartwing liked playing in the park. So he quickly put his shoes on and bounded down the steps, two at a time. Then he went out the door and made a beeline for Kokaua Town Park, finding Heartwing sniffing a butterfly that had landed on a flower.

"Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me…starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee! Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day…lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd awaaaaay!…" Heartwing sang out.

The blue butterfly flapped it's wings slowly and softly.

"How come it isn't flying away?" Ashton asked.

"It knows I won't hurt it. My light is just that strong. And sometimes you don't have to say anything when you're faced with nature, because the word is the hurt more often than not." Heartwing rolled around on his back. "How are you?"

"…I need somebody to talk to. And to listen." Ashton admitted.

"Alright. But not here." Heartwing said. "He's coming soon."

Ashton blinked. "Who's here?"

Heartwing stood up and pointed. Ashton looked behind him and to the right as a black dragon experiment walked by, with a smile that chilled you to the bone. He was looking at Ashton like he would toy with him like a puppet on a string.

"Eclipse. Bad, bad being. Killed opposite, killed Nightwing, killed his father."

"He murdered his father? Why doesn't anyone take him down? Arrest him?" Ashton asked.

Eclipse had heard that. He turned around and tilted his head slightly. "I suppose you'd try and take me in, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I WOULD, ya lousy-" Ashton began.

Then Eclipse gave him a smile. It wasn't a nice one. "Tell me who is precious to you. Give me the pleasure of taking them away."

Ashton suddenly felt chills go up his spine. Eclipse walked off, humming a strange little Latin tune.

"Unfortunately that is how it works…" Heartwing said sadly.

"I'll say." Legion remarked as he walked across the street, exiting the ice cream shop. He downed a milkshake in a loud SWOOOOOOORK and then tossed the cup into the trash. "The thing is, nobody WANTS to fight him."

"They're that afraid?" Ashon asked.

"No, no…worse than that. You see, there's this horrible, twisted thing about a good deal of people…"

"Admire the tiger in the zoo, the killer, the tearer of flesh…but only when he's caged…" Heartwing whispered.

"Eclipse is like that tiger, only he's free, and the evil that he does is so impressive in it's style, so casual and cool, that they admire it. They admire that sort of open evil because he's able to pull it off with style, grace and impressive power, and they don't have the heart to just put a bullet in his head or to denounce him in public." 627 told Ashton.

"People LIKE it when he commits evil acts because they're cool to watch!?" Ashton asked, mortified.

Heartwing nodded sadly.

"There's something messed up with this town…"

"With world too." Heartwing added, bowing his head in sorrow.

Ashton rubbed his head. "Ugh…anyhow, Heartwing…can I speak with you?"

Heartwing nodded. Legion waved goodbye. "I gotta reserve the bar for tomorrow when it's guys night out, then I'll meet you at the ballpark, Heartwing."

"Don't forget Belle's request!"

"Oh, right! If I don't get that Château '92 for tonight, no sex for a **month**!" He gulped. "And she'll make me do all the chores…mahalo, Heartwing! See you around!"

Ashton watched him walk off. "Hard to believe sometimes that he used to be so downright freaky and evil."

Legion arrived at the bar in a few minutes. It was a large brick building that had a "retro" feel about it. There were large windows and a sky blue door with an aerie painted on it. He opened it up. Humans and experiments alike were chatting it up. The bartender saw experiment 627 and nodded. He was a portly man, who was missing half of his red hair.

"CJ, what's up?" Legion asked.

"How ya doin', kiddo?" CJ asked in his usual, gruff but friendly voice. He was cleaning out a mug of beer behind the stands. There were large, smooth kegs of different kinds of beer behind him, and many wine bottles hovering in the air on anti-gravity generator discs. They just went around and around like some kind of model train. There were several pool tables in the place and above all, arcade machines such as DDR. The series just never died.

"I'm here to rent out the place tomorrow night and to buy a bottle of Château '92." Legion said, hopping on the bartstool nearest to him. "I know it's costly though."

"Hey, for you, half price. You're one of my best customers, Hell you and your kid helped me and Ariel set up the joint. Ya can have them both for 150."

"One hundred fifty it is." Legion said, taking out his wallet from his jacket and slamming two bills down. "And you know what, here…another fifty." Legions said, pulling out another bill. "Drinks for everyone on me!"

A collective cheer went through the bar. Here Legion was never insulted or looked down on, ever since he'd helped build up the place he'd gained respect. It made him feel nice, being cheered like this.

"How's Ariel? She…the same?"

CJ sighed. "She's the same." He said softly, turning his head.

Ariel was, in many ways, very, very beautiful. She had heterochromia, an eye condition that resulted in one eye being red while another was blue. She very closely resembled Angel in basic design, only without any "v" insignia on her chest. She had long antennae like Angel and pale pink fur inside of her ears. But she was also an albino, with pure white fur…and she suffered from other…problems. Still, she did what she could to help her adopted father CJ out.

"Well…say hi to her for me." 627 said. "I've got to be taking off." He waved goodbye as he hopped off the stool and walked out the door, humming "Take me out to the ballgame."

…

…

…

_It had been a long, long time since he'd been on the dating scene. After that incident with Clip in which he'd been maced in the face, he was loathe to try anything else for a while. He was able to get on the scene like a sex machine, true, but one thing he COULDN'T do was really score a chick. Usually things moved too fast. Not this time. This time he was gonna take it slow. He had somebody helping him too, a good and dear friend._

"_Okay, now there she is." Belle said, rubbing Legion's shoulders. "Now you're gonna go over there and you're gonna sit next to her and you're NOT gonna pull any one-liners except for the one I taught you, alright?" _

_"Right." Legion said, nodding. _

"_Now just be natural, but don't overdo it. Play it cool, okay?"_

_"Right." _

"_Now go get her, tiger!" Belle laughed, slapping him on his back. He got up from his seat and walked over to the bar, sitting on a stool next to a female experiment. She had frizzy, afro-like hair and purple fur, with a small, rounded nose and black spots on her body as she fiddled with a strand of her hair. She blinked and turned to look at Legion, who spoke the one line he'd been practicing with Belle._

_"Hi." He said simply._

_"Hi."_

_"I'm Legion."_

"_I'm Tara." _

"_Nice name."_

_"So's yours."_

"_Want a drink?"_

_"Love one. Appletini, please." _

_Belle watched, folding her arms and smiling. It looked like things were going well. Then…_

_SMACK!_

"That ain't funny, JERK!" Tara jumped off the stool and left the bar. Legion groaned and banged his head on the bar as Belle walked over.

_"What happened? You were doing GREAT!"_

_"I tried to tell her a joke but she didn't like it."_

"_You tried to pull a black joke on her!?"_

_"No. It was a Polish joke. How was I supposed to know!?"_

_"Ugh…" Belle rubbed her temples with her hands. "You're a real piece of work…come on, come on, let's go…"_

_He and Belle walked out of the bar. Legion sighed. "Man, why can't women be more understanding like you? You don't mind me at all, no matter what I say."_

_"Yeah, you're lucky you got me, Legion."_

"_I am, really. I mean, I'm glad you taught me all these tricks with dating women, really. But they don't seem to work the way they should…"_

_"Oh, cheer up, or you'll get me thinking about Sparky again, and that would hurt too much. You...you wanna go get some ice cream?"_

"_Yeah, I'd like that a lot." Legion said, smiling as he looked right at her. "Th…thanks…"_

_Suddenly he looked at her. REALLY looked at her. _

"_Don't…mention it…" Belle said right back as she really looked at HIM, as if for the first time. _

_Before they knew it, they were kissing it up._

"People change." Heartwing said to Ashton as they sat on a park bench. Ashton had gotten out all of his feelings about how sick he'd felt inside losing his parents, and on how he didn't think that Rupert could have been capable of saving all of Kokaua Town.

"I don't think I've changed much at all." Ashton remarked. "Things have changed around me, yeah, but I ain't been getting better."

"You used to have no friends." Heartwing told him softly.

Ashton thought about this for a moment.

"Your mother and father are gone. But you have a big brother who loves you dearly now. And you're opening up to others when at one point you would have just not cared." Heartwing went right up to Ashton and held his hand gently. "So…have you changed?"

"…yeah." Ashton said quietly. "I…I guess I have."

"Good. Now then…" Heartwing smiled. "Play ball?"

"…I think I'd like that…a lot…" Ashton said.

LATER…

Ashton had gone upstairs, trying not to get involved with what Sandy and Rupert were talking about. Thus he'd missed what they had said. But he DID feel like making a call.

Riiing…riiiing…

"Hello?" Daveigh asked.

"Hey Daveigh. Uh…have…have I ever thanked you for all the times you tried to open up to me?"

Daveigh, on the other end, beamed. "Do-don't sweat it, it's nothing…"

"No, it…it means a lot to me. I'm glad that…that I have a friend like you."

"Hey, listen, can I ask you something?" Daveigh asked.

"Absolutely." Ashton said.

"Want to come over to my house tomorrow?"

Ashton was a little nervous. "But…I'm a guy, you're a girl. What could we possibly…"

Then Daveigh whispered something in through the phone and Ashton's voice got all cracky as butterflies filled his stomach.

"R-REALLY? Oh-oh my!" He gasped. "I'll-I'll be over at…uh…at 10?"

Daveigh sat back in her bed. "Sure, 10 sounds great."

Ashton sat on his. "Thanks! I'll see you then." He turned the phone off and lay back in his bed, sighing happily.

Yep…things were finally looking up.

MEANWHILE…

"You were almost late! You know what that would have meant…"

"I'd be sleeping on the couch for a week…" Legion grumbled. "Today was a very busy day, cut me some slac-"

"You know, we had the most fun time out tonight!" Belle laughed.

Experiment 627 groaned inside. What happened to the guy who wouldn't have let ANY girl interrupt him? He seemed to have died off when he married Belle.

"Carmen and Mary and Heatwave and I all went to the movies with Ariel, she really had a good time." Belle said happily.

"You could tell?" Her husband asked.

"She was smiling so much it was impossible not to tell."

The two of them were back at their house, in the bedroom. The bedroom had dark red wallpaper and a bed with a red cover on top of black sheets. It looked like a gigantic heart. Belle was wearing a very skinny black dress that left little to the imagination and 627 was only wearing a pink t-shirt that read "There's a Party in My Pants and You're Invited" on them.

"I've been thinking…" Belle began as Legion walked into the bedroom. "We have NOT been having enough sex lately."

THAT was good news. "_**Oh yeah.**_" Legion said, grinning from ear to ear. "The kids are sleeping over at Chops's place, aren't they?"

"Yep. I wonder what Frank and Victoria are doing with them?"

"Well I'm sure Chops can take care of them…" Legion said. "So…" His tone became sultry. "How's about we try it old school?"

Belle's eyes lit up. "Troggy style?"

"Troggy style."

"Did you get me my Cheateau?"

Legion nodded and raised the bottle up, popping the top off. He poured it into his mouth, then embraced Belle passionately and kissed her, and the drink went down her throat. He then let go and Belle let out a "WOOO!" right before she quickly took her dress off, then jumped onto the bed, back first. "**TAKE ME**, MAN MEAT!" She shouted. Legion grinned broadly again, put the bottle away and with a howl and a beating of his chest, leapt right on her. A few minutes the entire room was shaking like an earthquake was occurring.

Soon after it was finished. Belle just lay there, snoozing…snoring loudly. But Legion didn't care. He just lay next to her, silently, watching her sleep, smiling gently at his beautiful wife. And he didn't move a muscle until at last he himself fell asleep by her side.

MEANWHILE…

Heartwing stared down Eclipse. The two had been looking intently at each other for a long time. They'd been tussling earlier on and although Heartwing was older than Eclipse he was still stronger.

"How could you…he was your father." Heartwing whispered.

"It was to test my strength." Eclipse said simply. "I needed to surpass my old self and I did so."

"Ironic…" Heartwing thought out loud.

"Yes, isn't it?" Eclipse laughed softly. "You had high hopes for Esmeralda and Chibisuke, and father had high hopes for me…and we're all just big disappointments…" He grinned, showing off his fangy smile. "Aren't we?"

"It's not too late." Heartwing said quietly.

"Don't try and convert me, uncle." Eclipse said, raising his hand. "My path is set. I know what I am meant to do. The supplanter will play his part and enslave all with his darkened heart. The angels will fall and the princess will die as unholy power darkens the sky."

"Prophecies aren't always true." Heartwing said angrily.

"Not always…but this one is going to come true. Try as poor little Rupert might, he's still not off of the path. He will become the overlord. He's only really made cosmetic changes, nothing really that special…"

"You treat the enslavement and death of millions so lightly?" Heartwing asked.

"It's all for the best. It's what everyone wants." Eclipse said coolly.

"No. It's just what you want." Heartwing snarled.

"Actually it's not just what I want. It's what more people want than you think. You cannot deny it. Humanity is flawed. Experimentkind is flawed. Change is needed, drastic change. Rupert will bring about that change as the supplanter. It is simply a matter of continuing a cycle that has been occurring for years. If it ain't broke...don't fix it, right?" He asked, grinning slightly.

"I will stop you." Heartwing spoke.

"You are destined to fall, uncle."

"We think we know our destiny, but it can change in an instant. Your father learned that." Heartwing said, turning away and walking off. Then he stopped for a brief moment and turned his head slightly to look back at Eclipse. "Can **you**?" He asked before finally leaving the park.

Eclipse was silent. He said nothing. Then he spoke.

"Well. I suppose the pieces are moving into place…"

Two forms emerged from behind a tree. One crossed his arms while the other kicked the ground below her.

"You should really not be watching me." Eclipse said. "I could smell you from a mile away."

"Lord Stitch doesn't like you here. A lot of others may tolerate you, but he sure as Hell doesn't." The female figure snapped, her voice crackling like a bolt of lightning.

"Tachisarimasu. Go away." The first form said, and his voice reminded Eclipse of a man he had once watched on a children's show as a young, young child while his father held him in his arms, laughing happily with his wife by his side.

For a brief moment, Eclipse found a tear slipping down his cheek. Then he looked away and walked off.

**Author's Note:**

**Hard to believe 627 settled down, huh? And that leaves the question: What happened with Belle and Sparky? And who are these two newcomers? And most of all, what's the deal with the prophecy? **

**Oh yeah...it's all coming together. Read, review...and now for a sneak preview!**

_"Hmph. Some personality details, some knowledge on his abilities…in short, it just told us everything pretty much everyone in town ALREADY knew about him!"_

_"…he's an interesting character…you really don't know where he came from?"_

_"No, I don't. All I know was that he showed up in the invasion and he never told anyone anything but his name. I think that SOME people know who he really is, but I've got no idea who. I just remembered something, he is the only one who still calls people cousins. Interesting, huh?"_

_..._

_"Stitch…boojibu…I need to talk to you."_

_Stitch could tell she was upset. He immediately got out of his seat and walked over to her, holding her hands gently. "What is it, boojibu?" He asked softly._

_"…I'm pregnant." She whispered._

_..._

_He walked up the long white steps and opened the door. He held the picture, gently brushing a single claw against the image of Lilo._

_"…Cousins…my ohana…" His lips had only just parted to get those words out. He held the crisp and fresh picture close to his chest, and slowly but surely, the world dissolved around him, replacing it with the basement of the Pelekai household. He held the photo up and allowed quiet sobs to shake his body as he slowly got on his knees and allowed his head to touch the ground. He put the photo down on the ground and one by one, tears fell onto it with a drip…drip…drip as he claws gripped into the ground._

_"Li…lo…" He whispered._


	15. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:**

**There is something oddly fascinating about villainy and it's many forms. Some of the greatest pyschopaths that the human imagination ever cooked up are also admired. I'm not sure if that's a good thing though. Yes, I can admire a tiger...when it's behind a cage, good and locked up, as Hercule Poirot once said. And as for getting close to the darkness, well remember the phrase "When you look into the abyss, the abyss looks into you"? The thing is, it may not be dangerous at first to look, but you have to be careful not to get so close you tip head over heels inside. It can be hard not to get too close. **

**You know what else is hard? Marriage. Stitch and Angel have been married for a long time, but their love is strong enough to face anything...right?**

**...right?**

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

"Who's next on the list?"

"…ha…ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa! Oh this is too RICH!"

"Let me guess…one of the royal pains in the asses?"

"None other than pain in the ass number one and two!"

STITCH PELEKAI

Experiment 626, created on June 16th, 2002. Without a doubt the most successful experiment that Jumba Jookiba ever produced. Originally created for the destruction of large cities and to be a living weapon of mass destruction, he was introduced to Lilo Pelekai and learned to love, thus changing his programming and allowing him to truly "live". He cared for Lilo like she was both surrogate mother, sister, daughter and best friend in the world. He was a natural choice to be the leader of the experimental citizenry of Kokaua Town, but after Jumba and Lilo's death he withdrew from much of human society and now lives in his own territory on the island along with his wife and many other experiments. He and the experiment named Grey successfully banished Leroy to Niihau and Stitch has three children born from Angel. It is rumored that his wife has had an affair of extremely dubious nature with-

"Figures. Cuts off at the good stuff."

"Honestly. There are more important things. Let's see what's going on with the lovely 624…"

ANGEL PELEKAI

Experiment 624. She refuses to divulge her age or weight…this appears to be an annoying trend among the female experiments. In any case, she is quite strong and agile, and her biggest power includes the ability to turn bad experiments good and good experiments bad by singing. She has a great amount of sex appeal and her design was greatly based off of experiment 123. Originally the two were fierce rivals and fought for the affections of 625. Angel has presumably had three large relationships: one with experiment 621, Chopsuey, one with experiment 625, Rueben, and her last and longest, her marriage with experiment 626, Stitch. She is not above eating people who try to hurt her or her family. She used to have problems with nightmares until-

"Odd. Why would it cut off about nightmares?"

"There's something oddly insidious about this. Both of them are high threat levels, naturally."

"Who's next?"

"…I'll be d—ned…it's him."

"You mean…Âhinahina? Grey?"

"Yes."

"What does his file say?"

GREY

Little is known about Grey. He seems to exhibit odd, eccentric behavior quite often and there are many rumors abounding for the reasoning behind these behaviors and his very existence. He seems to have great musical talent when it comes to singing and playing instruments, being "in touch" with "the music in me". He is able to manifest his aura through concentration and can focus said aura into elemental powers, as well as being able to influence the emotions of those nearby with his own aura. He also appears to be very strong, agile and durable, and has the ability to fly. He doesn't appear to be quite as brainy as many of the other experiments and does not like to talk about his origin at all. That's all we know.

"Hmph. Some personality details, some knowledge on his abilities…in short, it just told us everything pretty much everyone in town ALREADY knew about him!"

"…he's an interesting character…you really don't know where he came from?"

"No, I don't. All I know was that he showed up in the invasion and he never told anyone anything but his name. I think that SOME people know who he really is, but I've got no idea who. I just remembered something, he is the only one who still calls people cousins. Interesting, huh?"

"Hmm…well…I'm tired of this. I think I'm going to get some breakfast…"

"I could use some myself…maybe a little-"

"MY BREAKFAST CEREAL!!"

Grey woke up with a start, rubbing his eyes. He quickly climbed out of the pile of laundry, then bolted up the steps to the kitchen, just in time to find Mrs. Pelekai pointing at a familiar red experiment in a black jumpsuit. Daveigh and Mr. Pelekai were right there as well, while Daveigh had grabbed a big, heavy wooden spoon.

"I'm gonna bop you one, jerk!" She shouted, waving it over her head. Leroy, who was holding a big box of "Lucky Charms" and "Frosted Mini Wheats" in each hand, just laughed.

"Like you're going to stop me, girl." He laughed, rushing out the kitchen door.

"I'm on him!" Grey shouted, leaping clear over the kitchen table and bolting out the door.

"You'd better be on him like scars on a zombie!" Daveigh yelled after him.

Leroy was fast. But Grey had the advantage of being taller and faster. The two ran through the streets of Kokaua Town with Grey slowly catching up to Leroy, grinning.

"I'm gonna getcha, I'm gonna getcha!" He called out.

Leroy turned up the juice and went into overdrive as he tore down the sidewalk, shoving anybody who got in his way OUT of his way. He turned around to see that Grey had stopped to help those people up and he laughed as he ducked into an alley.

He knew full well that by now he was in Stitch's territory, but he didn't care. He knew that if he followed the alley out he'd reach the beach and he'd be able to enjoy his breakfast with some lovely scenery. He rushed out of the alley, jumped over a speeding car and landed on the other side of the road, approaching Kokaua Town Beach. He sat down and opened up the Lucky Charms, tilting his head back to start breakfast…

TWHAMP!

A hand snatched them and the other box out of his hands. He gaped as Grey landed to his left, holding both boxes up triumphantly. He put the Mini Wheats down then closed the box of Lucky Charms before he put it down as well.

"It's not very nice of you to steal from Daveigh. Or anyone else, _cuz_!" Grey growled.

"Aw, but food tastes better when stolen." Leroy laughed. "Anything is better when it's stolen…like a life." He grinned and drew a small black shaft from a belt pouch. He pressed a red button on the side and it activated a plasma whip of glowing orange.

Grey raised his eyebrow. "Oh. You wanna start something, lemupo'o?"

"Show me what you've got, you clown!" Leroy laughed

"Hmm. Is a ham higher than a clown or vice-versa? I'll have to find that out later." Grey remarked, putting one claw to his lip as he looked up in thought, one arm crossed across his chest.

"Stop ignoring me!" Leroy snarled, raising the whip. It arched through the air, and Grey ducked to the side, twirling in the air.

"_Aue_, you don't learn your lessons, do you? I beat your butt last time…I'll do it again!"

"That was years ago, Grey! And I'm still in the zone!" Leroy laughed, twirling the whip in a spiral motion to strike at him. Grey ducked, the whip barely missing his head.

"Yeah, you still have some moves. But they're old!" Grey remarked. He spread his legs slightly and stood facing the ocean, then turned his head to look at Leroy, raising one hand. "Like the rush of the wind, it goes on and on and on!" He whispered.

A large gale force of wind erupted, wooshing towards Leroy, who jumped through the air and grabbed a nearby palm tree, rushing at Grey, who jumped back just in time to avoid getting struck over the head.

Leroy swung himself and the tree around and around at a higher speed and went spiraling at Grey, who raised his hand. "You know, it's one thing to get into the whole "supervillain persona", but you gotta play it cool…"

He slammed it into the ground and the beach suddenly sank, with Leroy along with it. He was now in a pit. "You don't wanna get BURIED in the part." He said. Then a horrible look briefly passed over his face and Leroy knew what he was about to do.

"No, wait-"

Grey pointed one claw into the pit while his other hand pointed at the sea. The nearest wave rose up higher, higher, then arched up through the air, narrowing into a large stream. The hand that was pointing at the ocean then slowly moved towards the pit, and the streaming ocean followed it. All the while Grey was glowing with a blue aura as his eyes glared down at Leroy.

"Now unless you want to drown like the rat you are, you're gonna first take the cereal back to Daveigh's place, then apologize, and then you're promise not to ever steal from them again. And if you try it again…"

He clenched his fist and the stream exploded in midair, sending water droplets flying everywhere. Leroy flinched and shielded himself slightly.

"Get it, Leroy?"

"…yes…" Leroy squeaked.

"Good." Grey said, and he clapped his hands, glowing brown. The sand shot up and Leroy went flying up into the air, landing by the cereal. Grey yanked him up. "Start walking. And the apology had better sound sincere."

MEANWHILE...

Angel paced back and forth. The bathroom was the color of a pale yellow/white, and there was a large sink to her right, with a custom-designed toilet over to the left. In the farther corner of her bathroom was a bathtub/Jacuzzi that had a nozzle above that filtered whatever special bath oil or spray she wanted with just the push of a button. The clear floor tiles reflected her worry-filled face, and her diamond bedroom door was locked solidly behind her.

This wasn't happening.

This couldn't be happening.

She looked back down at the little pod in her hands which she had just swallowed and passed out after washing it off.

Oh no, oh no, oh NO.

How? How on Earth could this be possible? Stitch had been spayed! Vetted! That dog couldn't hunt!

Could this be some sick dream?

No, it wasn't. She'd vomited into the toilet for an hour about two hours ago and she could smell the bleach that she'd used to wash he smell of the puke away. She could smell Stitch from underneath the bedroom door, the scent of her toothpaste, and above all, she was shaking, all symptoms of the sickness that primarily affected "Experimental Americans" like her during that special time…

That sickness was morning sickness.

Angel was pregnant.

"Oh F—K." She thought out loud, the swear bursting out before she could stop it. What was she going to tell Stitch? Eventually he'd notice that she had a big bulge in her stomach and she couldn't just say it was because she'd eaten Legion for making lewd advances! She couldn't handle this! She had to do something, SOMETHING…

She needed something to eat and drink first. Where could she go that was somewhere safe? Somewhere where she wouldn't be recognized…

She found herself covered in black paint, covering up her "v" insignia and wearing a dark cloak. She put on fake eyelashes and "Halloween lenses", a special kind of contact lens that was designed to reflect light, giving off the appearance that your eyes were pure white. She grinned as she entered the bar and sat down at a table, ordering bacon, eggs and some white wine. Thank GOD this bar was open early.

A man who had lost half his hair plopped her meal down on the table. "Enjoy, miss." He said.

He didn't recognize her. Good. Angel nodded and began chowing down. She stuffed her face with her meal and took large sips of her white wine.

Just across from her there were several other people…one of them she recognized…Grey.

Grey was smiling in a satisfied way, apparently quite glad that he'd gotten Leroy to apologize. He didn't seem to notice Angel as he was looking at the comics section and laughing at "Classic Foxtrot".

Angel sighed. She looked back down at the pregnancy test pod in her hand. It was still blue. She was still pregnant. What was she going to do, what was she going to do…

Grey suddenly stopped reading the comics and looked down at his watch. Then he got a small smile on his face and whistled. "CJ!" He called out.

CJ approached his table and brushed some of his hair back. "What can I do ya for?"

"That mele mikini of yours over there…" He said, pointing to the right. He motioned for CJ to come closer, then whispered in his ear. CJ nodded, and walked over to a large, floating ball with a computer console on it and a huge display screen showing a large group of songs. CJ activated the music machine and selected a song, choosing "karaoke mode".

As the music began to play, Angel saw that Grey had that look in his eyes…and he began to sing.

_All alone…guess again!  
You've been known…to take the hand of any man  
Who will fill your fan-ta-  
-see you there, a big mistake…  
You're the pride, of every fake that comes around…  
This messed-up-town! _

_You know, and I know, and I know…  
It's always better when  
You know…and I know, and I know!  
It's always better when  
You find-out-we've-been-lying, cheating!_

Grey suddenly jumped on top of the table and stretched out one hand towards Angel, moving his body to the music as he held up a spoon like a microphone to his mouth.

_BABY!  
Give him a siiiign!  
Give him a reasooon…  
Make up your mind!  
Darling! Only a fooooool…  
Couldn't see through you…_

_Know what you do!_

With that he suddenly tossed the spoon with expert aim by leaning back and throwing it BEHIND HIS BACK. It sailed through the air and hit the "stop" button on the machine and he nodded, jumping off the table and walking out of the bar.

Angel groaned and her head hit the table. The kid knew. And he had just given her some sound advice.

She had to tell him. She had to make up her mind on whether to keep the child or not.

MUCH, MUCH LATER AT LUNCHTIME…

Stitch had just gotten out of a wonderful bath. He took two a day to keep himself smelling nice. He now strolled down the halls of his main home base, his lovely little mansion, heading for the kitchen and dining area. He opened up the double doors and smiled warmly at the welcome sight of his kitchen. There was the large dining table with the big windows that overlooked the custom-made yard with flowers from every sort of different planet growing to left, right and center. It was a miracle what "trog tech" could do, being able to manipulate the soil to grow whatever they pleased. This meant that a large amount of "Experimental Americans" made KILLINGS as farmers. Sometimes as farmers of rare drugs, not that Stitch minded. A good sniff of Lock-Nar every now and then as you soaked your skin in the Jacuzzi was like taking a trip to Heaven in a jet-powered corvette. Another great amount of experiments had online stores, and with access to teleportation technology, that meant instant customer satisfaction. What did they sell? Well...that is a story for another time.

The fridge was five times bigger than Stitch was, custom built for containing different meats and of course, in the center of the room was a small elevator that took you down to the wine cellar. Stitch wasn't in the mood for wine right now though. What he felt like was some ice cream and pizza, the classics.

Stitch smiled to himself as he opened the fridge with a paw print scanner and voice recognition technology. He got out a big pint of Rainbow Sherbet and a half-eaten large pepperoni pizza, tossing them on the table and whistling. At the sound of his whistle, the kitchen's computers recognized the tone and the silverware drawer popped open. He leisurely walked over and got out a large spoon, whistling again to close the drawer. He sat down at the table and began chowing down, digging into the ice cream. Naturally he got a brain freeze, but he solved that by popping the pizza into a microwave and chowing down on THAT.

But just as he'd finished and was wiping his mouth, Angel walked into the kitchen, a look on her face that seemed to indicate that she'd been hit by a truck emotionally.

"Stitch…boojibu…I need to talk to you."

Stitch could tell she was upset. He immediately got out of his seat and walked over to her, holding her hands gently. "What is it, boojibu?" He asked softly.

"…I'm pregnant." She whispered.

"…you're what now?" He asked.

"I'm pregnant."

FIVE MINUTES LATER…

The two of them were sitting side by side on the front steps of their mansion as the wind blew around them, but they didn't even feel it.

"Angel…since I…since I'm shooting blanks and since we're both so old, I…I can't help worrying. You…you didn't cheat on me, did you?"

"…no…you wore a condom each time we did launa'ana …didn't you?"

"Yeah…I don't understand…how can…" His eyes went wide. "Unless it broke…"

"It must have broken." Angel realized, her eyes widening.

They were quiet for a few moments. Then they both swore "_**Kokami**_!" in a harsh roar at the world in general. They weren't able to say anything else for a long time. Then finally Stitch turned to Angel.

"I'm glad you told me and-"

"Stitch, I…I need to think this alone. I need to deal with this on my own, alright?"

Stitch looked at Angel with confusion on his face. "W-why?"

"You-you always take such great care of me, but I have to prove I can do this on my own. I'm a person first and your wife second." She nodded at him and stood up. "I'll…I'll call you when I'm ready to talk with you."

She then walked back inside and began packing up her things. When she returned to the front steps, Stitch was gone.

In fact…

Stitch was walking slowly towards the bar near the movie theater, thinking about getting a drink. He was about to open the door when…

He heard someone singing…someone familiar.

"Tell heeeerrrrr not to gooooo…yoooou ain't holding on no more…tell her something in your mind…freezes up from time to time…"

Stitch blinked, and began to turn around.

"Tell her you'll be by her side, all she has to do is call…"

Grey rocked back and forth on his heels, hands in his pockets, singing out on the sidewalk as he looked at Stitch. "All she has to do is call…"

Stitch blinked again, hardly able to believe what he was hearing.

"Tell her something in your heart…needs her more than even clowns…need the laughter of the crowd!"

Stitch slowly looked across the street at the phone booth.

"Tell heeeerrrrr not to gooooo…yoooou ain't holding on no more…tell her something in your mind…freezes up from time to time…"

He ran across the street and typed in Angel's phone number, ordering the call on his tab.

"Angel…we need to talk." He said, turning his head.

Grey was gone, and Chopsuey and Clyde were walking out of the bar, shaking each other's hands. Apparently they had been fighting, there were cuts and bruises all over them both.

"You're my best friend, Clyde, I…I can't stay mad at you."

"…me neither, Chops. Hey, uh…fer what it's worth…I think that if you had been wit' Bonnie, ya woulda been a good husband…" Clyde admitted sheepishly, turning a little red.

"Maybe, maybe." Chopsuey admitted. "But I couldn't match your loyalty in a million years." He admitted. "I mean, for all the times you like to sneak away, how many times have you always done some stupid favor she asked you to do? How many times have you stolen her a nice necklace or ring just because you felt like giving her a present? How many times have you punched the lights out of anyone for putting the moves on her?"

"…a lot…" Clyde admitted sheepishly. "Guess I'm whipped, huh?"

"No, nooo!" Chopsuey said, patting his friend on the arm. "You're just a great husband."

Hmm.

Stitch turned back to the phone. Angel was being defensive again. "Stitch, I have to deal with-"

"No. You DON'T. Angel, the reason I love you isn't because you're independent or that you always need to do things your way. It's because you're so wonderful to be with, you're smart and caring and above all, we've been through time after time together. You can't make this decision without me because not only is it not just your child, but it's mine as well. But most of all, you can't decide whether to keep it or not because I need to be with you for this. And I think you're afraid to do it with me."

"…"

"Boojibu?"

"I…I don't know what to do…I…"

"Angel…I don't either. But I'm willing to work it out with you because we're meant to be together, for better or for worse, through sickness and health. Please…can you just meet me back home?"

"…"

"Just…just give it some thought." He said to her with a hint of begging in his voice before he put the phone away and walked out of the booth, heading home.

He didn't even have the heart or mood to look up. Eventually he reached his house and walked up the front steps.

Angel hugged him the moment he opened his door.

"Thought about it." She said. "You know what…you're right."

Stitch sniffled a little. "It-it means a lot to me that….that you came back…" He said.

"It means a lot to me too." Angel said. "And to Reese too."

"Reese?" Stitch asked.

"If it's a boy, I'll name him Reese. If it's a girl…"

"Can we name her Taarna? I've always liked that name."

Grey was outside their house, smiling as he sat on a tree branch, hands folded across his chest as he watched Stitch and Angel through the window. They went into the bedroom and the lights turned off.

"You charmer you." He thought out loud of Stitch before hopping off. "You always seem to know the right things to say. And I can't wait to see your new baby born."

He smiled to himself as he walked off, humming a song softly. Slowly he walked down across the grass as the moon rose higher and higher into the starless night. He found himself walking into the middle of town as one by one the lights flickered on in the streetlamps as he walked past them. His head bowed, he stuck his hands into his pants and continued to walk, his taloned feet clacking slightly against the road. Nobody was out tonight, it was very late, midnight. He began to sing softly to himself as he repeated his nightly ritual that he always performed on the dot, at his watch's beeping to mark the arrival of the Witching Hour.

As the aura swirled up and around him, it encased him like a ball of colors that were blending together, continuously revolving around him. He closed his eyes and allowed it to fill his every sense, and when he opened his eyes he was rewarded with what he wanted to see. To his center, Stopgo directed traffic while he could hear the happy cries of children as Short Stuff sent them around and around at the carnival. He looked to the left and saw Sparky was dressed in a stylish suit and waistcoat as he twirled a cane, trying to charm over Belle as he spun a bowler hat on top of his cane. Melty, Link and Carmen walked behind them, chatting it up . Belle laughed happily at a joke Sparky had just told and her voice rang through the air like her namesake, it was so SWEET of him to try and dress up like this, he was really maturing. To the right he saw Keoni Jameson skating on his skateboard, stopping only to look at his watch. His eyes widened, he was late! He picked up the pace and skated faster. Grey smiled at the many cousins all around him and walked out of the middle of the road, going to the right and following the sidewalk. He walked up the sidewalk, making a turn at a light, a right turn, following a familiar path up to a driveway that led to an even more familiar house with a blue paint job on it's walls and a red roof. He smiled happily as he approached it.

_You've got your ball,  
You've got your chain  
Tied to me tight, tie me up again...  
Who's got their claws  
In you my friend?  
Into your heart I'll beat again..._

He saw Stitch sleeping happily on the couch, lying across it, looking upwards, mouth slightly open, snoozing lightly. Grey smiled and rumpled the top of his head, laughing in his head. He then walked into the doorway on the left and saw Jumba was spitting out some terrible coffee, complaining to "older girl" why couldn't he have some DECENT drink with breakfast, like wine? And Pleakley was now reciting the benefits of coffee, one of his three long fingers raised up in protest while Nani groaned and shook her head...but as she turned to face the back door and saw David Kawena standing there, her grimace became a joyful grin. Grey smiled himself and left the kitchen, heading through the living room, across the rug and going up another flight of steps. He made a left turn and approached a small little elevator that took him up, up...into a small rooftop dome room. He looked around at the big blue room and saw the many photos of tourists on the wall. Then he saw it. The photo of the entire _ohana_. He slowly climbed onto the bed and reached up, gently, gently sliding it off from the tacks that held it up, holding it in his claws and looking down at it.

_Sweet like candy to my soul  
Sweet you rock,  
And sweet you roll  
Lost for you, I'm so lost for you..._

He walked up the long white steps and opened the door. He held the picture, gently brushing a single claw against the image of Lilo.

"…Cousins…my _ohana_…" His lips had only just parted to get those words out. He held the crisp and fresh picture close to his chest, and slowly but surely, the world dissolved around him, replacing it with the basement of the Pelekai household. He held the photo up and allowed quiet sobs to shake his body as he slowly got on his knees and allowed his head to touch the ground. He put the photo down on the ground and one by one, tears fell onto it with a drip…drip…drip as he claws gripped into the ground.

"Li…lo…" He whispered. Finally he raised himself up slightly and held his clenched fists, palm first, over his eyes as the tear flowed down and rippled through his grey-furred cheeks, carving a small path of sorts.

A final, tiny, rainbow dot flew into the air, sparkling as it sailed out of the basement window, flying up into the night to become the first and only star of the night.

**Sneak preview...**

_So what are we going to do?" He asked._

_"Well we need to see psychiatric help." Rupert admitted. "We can't both be in love with her, she's…she's too young. We need consultation, a way to deal with this."_

_"That might be hard…" Sandy said, rubbing his chin. "But I do know a few good shrinks…"_

_..._

_walked inside and sat down at the nearest bar stool, noticing that Ariel was right there, cleaning off the bar counter, bobbing her head back and forth slightly, listening to a song in her head. She noticed there was something wrong with Grey and took out a notepad with a pen._

_"What's wrong?" She wrote, showing what she'd written._

_"Well, I don't think I can control myself. I'm just not smart enough…" Grey admitted._

_..._

_The door opened. Ashton stood there, holding a backpack. "Hey Daveigh, I know the SATs are coming up and I could use some hel-what the? DAVEIGH!?" He exclaimed._

_"Ashton, call 911!" Rupert shouted. "Daveigh's hurt…she's been hurt badly…"_

_Ashton went pale..._


	16. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:**

**Some of you might be wondering this: what's wrong with Grey? Well, everyone has their problems. One of Grey's biggest ones is that he quite simply cannot let go. Yet that's not always such a bad thing...a great many things changed after the invasion, after the Pelekai household slowly but surely lost members of it's _ohana_. And the differences before and after are clear. In a way...Grey is a living link between the old and the new, and that puts a lot of pressure. He's probably one of the more tragic characters I've ever made, along with Rupert's story.**

**But one thing I have to say before I continue the story, besides "I want you to review", naturally...is this: I believe in happy endings, and they happen all the time.**

**Though it doesn't come easily...and sometimes we have to endure a lot of grief...**

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

It had been a pretty normal day at first for Daveigh. Then it had gotten kind of fun when she'd had Ashton over…

"Let's cut to the chase, baby." Ashton told Daveigh. "You're a woman. I'm a man. And a man has needs." Ashton said, jabbing at himself with a thumb. "So cool cat, let's lose with the pleasantries and get our butts straight to the couch." He said….

Then it had gone from alright to downright freakishly frighteningly horrible when Grey had come over.

"No, no, STOP! What are you doing, Grey!?" Daveigh shouted, trying to shove Grey off of her as he held her in a tight hug.

"I can't help myself, Daveigh!" Grey cried out, tearing up slightly. "I know you're young but you remind me so much of Lilo and I loved her so much and I love you so much and I just can't stand it anymore!"

"No-NO! Grey, please, you're hurting me!" Daveigh begged.

And then things had gone from bad to worse when HE'D shown up.

"Hello dear princess…" Eclipse said, slowly walking towards her, his eyes glittering. "Are your ready to die, precious one?"

Oh…it had started so well…

…

…

…

"Whatcha' readin'?" Daveigh asked Grey. They were all sitting around the breakfast table. Grey was looking at a newspaper article.

"It's an editorial by Congressman Kanakapale. He's saying we need to return to the old-fashioned Hawaiian values of kūʻokoʻa, kawiwo and ke kûhao. Pfft. A hîkapalalê, hinolue o walawala i pohâ!"

"What nonsense is RIGHT." Daveigh said. "_Ohana_ is more important."

"Ke kûpono too." Mr. Pelekai added.

"And ka huikala!" Mrs. Pelekai thought out loud.

"For me it's ka lōkahi." Grey stated. "Hey, why didn't Sandy come home?"

"He said he had to talk some things out with Rupert when he called last night, so he's staying at the Edmonds house."

AT THE HOUSE…

Ashton brushed his hair back as he looked at himself in the mirror. "I feel good!" He stated.

"I'm glad YOU do." Rupert shouted out, filling out paperwork down in the kitchen. "It seems I'm finally done with the 1040 forms."

"Don't you mean 1040 FORM?" Ashton asked as he descended the stairs.

"Oh. Sorry, forgot a comma. I mean the 1,040 forms…there." He put his John Hancock on the last paper. "All finished." He promptly stapled the pages together, then stuffed them into a package. "Now I just get this in the mailbox…"

Sandy crossed his arms as he watched Rupert hop out of his seat and head out the door. He waited patiently until the hamster came back and Ashton left, bidding the two goodbye so that he could go to Daveigh's house.

"So what are we going to do?" He asked.

"Well we need to see psychiatric help." Rupert admitted. "We can't both be in love with her, she's…she's too young. We need consultation, a way to deal with this."

"That might be hard…" Sandy said, rubbing his chin. "But I do know a few good shrinks…"

"I'M something of a shrink." Rupert said, partially bragging. "We need to look at this logically and start from the beginning…what do we like about her?"

"She's funny and smart." Sandy said.

"And she's creative too." Rupert added.

"And she is so CUTE and-oh geez, this isn't helping! If we keep listing her good traits, how will it help us get over her?"

"Right. Let's try focusing on her bad traits. She…uh…she snores, right?"

"…sometimes. And…well, she sometimes forgets to shower."

"…I have nothing else."

"Me neither."

"We're in a lot of trouble."

"Totally."

"We have to go tell her."

"_**WHAAAAAAA?!"**_

MEANWHILE…

Stitch and Angel were looking deeply into each other's eyes. They'd just woken up.

"Morning." Angel said softly.

"Morning." Stitch said right back. They had fallen asleep in their big, fluffy bed, one that was as large as the bed Stitch had once had as captain of the BRB. They rubbed each other's noses, humming happily. Then reality sank back in.

"I'm really pregnant." Angel said out loud.

"You are."

"We're having a baby."

"Why do you say "we"? I never say "We have fuzzy blue balls."

Angel let out a chuckle. "That always gets me. But seriously, we need to decide if we'll keep it."

"I thought we were gonna keep it, didn't you say we were going to keep it?" Stitch asked, raising an eyebrow. "And if it was a girl, we'd get to name it-"

"I know, I KNOW…" Angel said, sliding out of bed. She pointed at her stomach. "But I had this horrible dream that…that my stomach opened up and blood poured out and I kept screaming and you just stood there and watched me die! And before it swallowed me up, the baby came out from my stomach and you took it in your arms and you walked away and left me, you left me-DON'T LEAVE ME!" She immediately jumped back on the bed and grabbed tightly onto Stitch, crying.

"I won't, I won't…" He told her gently.

-Oh dear.- He thought inside his head. –What are we going to do? What if having a baby this late in life…I've heard tales…what if it **_kills_** her?-

Mrs and Mr. Pelekai both looked at their watches. "Oh!" "Oh!" "We're late." Daveigh's mother realized out loud. They got up and kissed Daveigh on the head. "We'll see you this afternoon, baby." Mrs. Pelekai said as they left the kitchen.

Daveigh and Grey looked at each other. "Hey, uh, Grey…can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Grey said, hopping out of his chair with the dishes so he could wash them for Daveigh and her family. "What is it?"

"What do you think of Ashton? Do you think he's really ready to open up? We talked last night and it seems like he's really coming out of the shell he used to be in!"

"Ashton needs somebody to talk to and hang out with. He's changing so that he can be more accepted by others. Trust me, he's ready to open up, and if you want him to open up to you, you don't need to worry, he'll do it, I think he trusts you a lot." Grey said as he began washing the dishes. "Say Daveigh, is a clown higher or lower than a ham on the ladder?"

"I think higher…" Daveigh said, scratching her head.

"Say, Daveigh, do you know what the day after tomorrow is?" The grey experiment asked her, stretching his arms.

"Is it Guy Fawkes Day? That's my favorite British holiday!" Daveigh said quickly.

"Ahhh…Guy Fawkes. The only person to enter Parliament with good, honest intentions."

"James the First was not THAT bad." Daviegh snickered.

"Right, just like I'm not that crazy!" Grey laughed.

"Hellooooo!" Ashton called out, entering the house. Daveigh smiled and hopped out of her chair, walking over to the front door and hugging him.

"Glad you could come!" She said, withdrawing a moment later.

"Let's cut to the chase, baby." Ashton told Daveigh. "You're a woman. I'm a man. And a man has needs." Ashton said, jabbing at himself with a thumb. "So cool cat, let's lose with the pleasantries and get our butts straight to the couch." He said.

Daveigh nodded and the two of them went into the living room. Grey raised an eyebrow upon hearing what Ashton had just said, but he wasn't finished with the dishes yet. But when he WAS, he peeked his head slowly into the living room and saw…

"At last! A Gamestation Advanced Controller in my grasp!"

"Ready to get it on, cowboy?" Daveigh asked, grinning seductively.

Grey laughed to himself as he headed into the basement to do the laundry. "Ashton, you charmer you!" He thought out loud.

Soon…

"You realize Daveigh, I'm going to crush you. Cream you. Wipe the floor with you…"

"Da-da-da-daaaa!"

"Ha, I win again!"

"…if you breathe one word of this at school."

"Best out of 300?" She asked.

Ashton covered his eyes.

"Hey, come on, Super Smash Bros Redux's graphics are a lot better if you actually look at them."

"_I can't watch you cream me as Pichu again!_" Ashton moaned.

Daviegh laughed a little. "All right, all right! How about we just talk?" She asked. "You know, you look better when you let your hair grow a bit longer, I've noticed that."

"R-really? Th-thanks? Y-you look nice too when…well, usually always." He admitted.

"So…how are you holding up?" She asked softly.

"…sigh." Ashton looked down a little, then lifted his head back up. "I'm doing alright, I'm…I'm adjusted, I suppose. I take long naps, I read a lot, Rupert's always there when that guy from the state isn't, and he wants to become my permanent guardian. He sent in the forms for application at the clinic today, when he gets the acceptance letter back, he'll have a job and be able to legally care for me…"

MEANWHILE…

As it were, the people who were overlooking Rupert's application forms were none other than Mr. and Mrs. Pelekai.

"Let's see what…oh, it's Rupert's application forms." Mrs. Pelekai stated.

"What did he list for strengths?" Mr. Pelekai asked.

"It says here that he's got doctorates in Psychology, Chemistry, Neurology and Internal Medicine, and that he graduated Magna Cum Laude from his college."

Mr. Pelekai rubbed his chin as he looked over his half of the workload. "Well, we do need a new doctor of internal medicine…"

Angel and Stitch held onto each other as they walked down the hallway to the kitchen.

"We never regretted having children before…" Angel said.

"Sure, it might be dangerous, but child-birthing is always dangerous…"

"It would be wonderful to hear the pitter-patter of little feet again…"

"Yeah…"

"…I'm scared…" Angel squeaked out.

"…do you want to know the truth? Me too…" Stitch admitted.

Daveigh nodded. "I'm sure he'll get the job."

"…Daveigh…uh…I…I appreciate you letting me come over to play. It means a lot to me to get out of the house and just hang with a good friend like you."

Daveigh smiled. "No problem." She said.

Ashton looked down at his watch. "Well, I've gotta get heading back, I promised Rupert we'd go out for lunch…I'll see you around."

He jumped off the couch and headed out the front door. Grey had finally finished with the laundry and he headed for the kitchen, opening up the fridge. "Want anything to drink? I'm getting some Mountain Dew."

"Sure, some for me too." Daveigh called back.

Grey entered the room, holding a large 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew with a single glass. He poured some for Daveigh, then began chugging the bottle.

"Woah, slow down." Daveigh said.

"Sorry, thirsty. REALLY thirsty." Grey apologized. He finally topped off the bottle and kicked it into a trash can, then turned to Daveigh. "You know Daveigh, you remind me a lot of your grandmother, heh…she…she was a wonderful woman."

Grey smiled nostalgically as he looked out the window. "It seems like only yesterday she and I were talking together…we were all one big, happy _ohana_ then…"

Daveigh rubbed the back of her head. "You don't usually like telling people about your past…how come?"

"…it's…it's just that I've had some horrible experiences. It hurt me…it hurt me a lot. Daveigh, if I don't laugh and smile, then I'm going to think about all the terrible things that have happened to me. I'm going to cry and cry and I won't be able to stop myself…so I have to smile." He rubbed his eyes. "It's just…just so hard without her…things have changed so much. Chops is a druggie, Legion's whipped, Stitch became tyrannical and Angel got hormonal and crazy and it…it feels like everyone changed for the worse since Leroy invaded and Lilo died and the only thing that wasn't supposed to change, what it meant for everyone to belong in one big _ohana_…that changed almost overnight. But I didn't want it to, Daveigh!" Grey said, tugging on Daveigh's shirt. "I held on tight, and didn't let go and-and now I'm…now I'm all alone."

"…Grey…" Daveigh said softly.

Suddenly Grey was hugging onto her tightly, clinging and licking her over and over all over her face, neck and chest. His claws dug in slightly.

"No, no, STOP! What are you doing, Grey!?" Daveigh shouted, trying to shove Grey off of her as he held her in that tight hug.

"I can't help myself, Daveigh!" Grey cried out, tearing up slightly. His voice sounded different, like two voices blended together as if somebody was playing two CDs, two covers of the same song at the same time. "I know you're young but you remind me so much of Lilo and I loved her so much and I love you so much and **I just can't stand it anymore!**"

"No-NO! Grey, please, you're hurting me!" Daveigh begged.

"I need this, need this, need this!" Grey growled, his eyes becoming lit with a strange fire. "You're MINE, she was MINE, you're both MINE! MINE! MI-"

Then he stopped. "What-what am I doing?" He asked himself. He got off of her. "I…I'm sorry, I…I just have been feeling so alone, and people aren't meant to be alone…I just needed to hold onto someone and I couldn't stop myself…" He hung his head as he slowly got off the couch. "I'm just an animal when you get right down to it…I'm just a beast…"

"No you're not…" Daveigh began.

"Please…just…just don't say anything." Grey begged as he walked towards the door. "I…I need to get away, I need to figure myself out so I won't try anything with you again…"

He walked out of the door, covering his head slightly, tearing up. Daveigh watched him leave.

"Grey…what aren't you telling us?" She wondered.

Grey walked down the road, holding onto his head. "What am I going to do? I need to control myself…I need to get my head together, I need to think SMART…how am I going to do THAT though? I'm…I'm just a beast…"

Daveigh slid off the couch and decided to head up to her room. But as she was passing by the calendar on the wall…

"SATs on Saturday" was located on the current date. And Saturday was the day after tomorrow.

Daveigh immediately let out a "Oh crap" on the spot. She was so hosed!

MEANWHILE…

"We are NOT telling her…" Sandy growled.

"We can't lie to her, we just can't. Everything will be alright if we tell her, she deserves better than-"

BEEP-BEEP!

Rupert's ears picked up. He looked outside and saw there was mail in the mailbox, freshly dropped off. He headed out the door and took out the single letter in the mail…

"I'm…I'm accepted! I've got a job!" He said happily.

"Well that's nice." Sandy complimented. "But we CAN'T tell Daveigh. Not yet."

"Oh…FINE." Rupert groaned, heading inside. "I need to use the bathroom."

He opened the bathroom door and closed it, the hopped up onto the sink counter, washing his hands. "Fricka-frackin, rassa-frassa…"

"Ruuuupeeeerrrt…"

Rupert looked up into the mirror. His brother, cape and all, was staring back at him. He had an unmistakable sad look on his face…

"WHAAAA?!" Rupert exclaimed.

"SHH. Don't speak out loud. THINK. Otherwise that boy Sanders will hear and think that you're up to some not-so-funny-business."

-Fine- Rupert thought. –What, just WHAT is going on?!-

"I am always with you, remember? My soul bonded to you when I died because you didn't want to let me go. And quite frankly, I want to see you happy. For a while I was able to remain in Purgatory, but I just-couldn't-stand-it…because you started becoming unhappy all over again. I have been watching you for quite some time."

-How long?-

"How long? Well…" Jacques rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

ABOUT A WEEK AFTER RUPERT BEFRIENDED ASHTON…

"Hey, look…"

Pitt and his friends were standing by their owners at the ice cream store. They saw Ashton and Rupert walking down the sidewalk, talking together. Invisible and in spirit form, Jacques floated in the air, looking down at his brother with a pensive look on his face.

"I guess Ashton's hangin' out with the rat now." Jolie spoke up.

"Let's jump their bones!" McGrudder suggested crudely.

"Good idea!" Justin said. "Hey, I wanna go first!"

Then, just as they took a few steps forward…

Jacques, still in spirit form, floated before them, eyes glaring, a venomous aura rising up from him like twisting whips that were blending together. He glowered and spoke the following words with deadly intent. **"Know this. I will curse your families for seven generations…if you take one more _STEP_ towards my brother and his friend."**

He clenched his paws into fists and grinded his teeth together as the aura seeped around the group, who all shivered.

"Y'know, for some reason, I'm getting a BAAAD feeling about this…"

"Yeah, uh…mebbe we oughta stay away from those two from now on…"

"L-Lets get outta here!"

They all promptly ran off, all sweating. Jacques folded his arms and smirked triumphantly.

PRESENT…

"Quite a while, you see. I had to pull a similar trick on Leroy to keep him from going after you in your sleep…he irks me."

-Irks me too…-

"IRKS!...er, anyway…when he betrayed you, your soul called out just before your body shut down to sleep…and it pulled me clear out of Purgatory. Now I have a chance to help you when needed. You see, while those in Hell can't know the present, they DO know the future and the past, and I heard whispers. You have to be getting over to the oh-so-adorable Hawaiian girls house PRONTO!" Jacques told him, pointing up into the air.

-Wh-why?-

"Eclipse is coming after her. He's already gone after her parents."

Rupert's eyes went wide. "No…" He whispered.

Jacques nodded sadly. "That dragon will be there in ten minutes. You cannot save them, they're too far away, but you CAN save the girl."

-I can't leave them to die!-

"So you'd sacrifice Daveigh?" Jacques asked. "And here I thought you wanted to do GOOD…"

-Brother, I can save all three of them!- Rupert said, jumping off of the sink and out the door. Jacques groaned.

"Oh BROTHER…this is annoyingly annoying…"

Rupert rushed out of the door and out the front door of the house, jumping in the car and starting it up, determined to make it to the hospital. He didn't even have time to explain himself to Sandy, who looked puzzled.

"…what on Earth is he up to?" Sandy asked. "…no matter. I've gotta get to the hospital…"

"When I've knocked that evilly evil Eclipse out of the sky, I can work out what my heart is feeling…" Rupert thought to himself. "I've got to get myself figured out, I have to know…"

"I've got to know…"

"What's in my heart…"

Daveigh groaned as she buried her face in a pillow. Grey groaned as he sat on his stomach, burying his face in his arms as he lay on the grass in the park.

"What am I gonna doooo? I'm SO not prepared for the test!"

"What am I going to do…how can I get my brain to control my body? I'm not smart enough to do this on my own…"

"I'm not smart enough to pass the test…"

"I've gotta get…"

"Someone…"

"Help…"

Stitch nervously bit his lip as the two of them sat down at the breakfast table. –What am I going to do? I'm supposed to be a brave leader?-

Angel looked at the ground and her antennae twitched slightly. What was she going to do? She was supposed to be a strong queen…

-I've got to get a grip...-

-I need to calm down…-

-I…-

-Need…-

-To be brave…-

Grey suddenly looked down at his watch as it began to play a tune. He groaned.

"Figures…"

Then buried his face in his arms again.

_We're off to see the Wizard…the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!  
_

_Bumpa-badda-bumpa-badda, badda-da, badda-da-daaa!_

ELSEWHERE…

Stitch and Angel looked at each other after eating a small breakfast.

"…do you think we can handle this?" Angel asked.

"…we need to talk to someone. A third party."

"Right. Right. We can't do this on our own." Angel said quickly.

"Who should we go to?" Stitch asked. "It has to be someone who would have no stake in this at all, someone who's smart and wise, someone who wouldn't get anything out of us having a baby or NOT having one…"

They tapped their respective lips, scratched their heads and went "hmm"…

"HEARTWING." They both said out loud.

"He's usually in the park." Stitch said.

"To the park, then!" Angel agreed.

Grey looked up from his position of self-pity and unhappiness and noticed that a perfectly good, barely unopened bottle of Coke just ahead of him. He also noticed that a squirrel was diving for it.

He immediately tried to grab it himself, mouth open wide. The squirrel reached out with its paws…

GLOMP.

Grey blinked. He had half a squirrel and a Coke bottle in his mouth. He immediately spat it out and both he and the squirrel let out a cry, with the squirrel screaming as it ran off.

"Sorry…" He mumbled as he downed the Coca-Cola down. He walked off and out of the park, heading for "Ariel's Aerie". He walked inside and sat down at the nearest bar stool, noticing that Ariel was right there, cleaning off the bar counter, bobbing her head back and forth slightly, listening to a song in her head. She noticed there was something wrong with Grey and took out a notepad with a pen.

"What's wrong?" She wrote, showing what she'd written.

"Well, I don't think I can control myself. I'm just not smart enough…" Grey admitted.

"Why?" She wrote down.

"I…I give in to my animalistic urges at the worst times possible…I'm…I'm not a very good person, Ariel. I try to be, but…"

"No need to try. ARE good." She'd written.

"…mahalo, Ariel, I appreciate it…"

Then he heard a squealing of rubber and looked outside through the window. It was Rupert, heading for the road that led to the hospital at top speed.

"The hospital? Why would he be-" Grey mumbled.

His eyes went wide. What if…oh no. Oh NO.

He rushed out the bar. "Gotta go, aloha!" He shouted.

MEANWHILE…

Sandy was taking large sips of water from a water bottle he'd gotten out of the Edmond's refrigerator. He was taking the bus to the hospital, to go to the psychiatric ward. He noticed that he was sitting next to none other than…

"Heartwing? What are you doing here?'

"Going to hospital. I cheer up patients with hugs, kisses and stories." Heartwing explained.

"That's you, alright."

"Something's bothering you." Heartwing reasoned.

Sandy tilted his head back and forth slightly. "Er…uh…well…um…"

Heartwing turned his draconic head to look at him, giving him a hard look.

"…alright, yeah, something's worrying me."

Heartwing put his clawed hands in his lap and moved his legs and feet up to sit Indian-style on his seat. "Talk." He said.

"Well…it's like this…"

"I see." Ariel wrote.

Stitch and Angel had not found Heartwing in the park, so they'd gone into the bar. Ariel had been more than happy to listen to them.

"I just…I don't think we're prepared for parenthood at this age…we've changed, we're not the same brave, rowdy young couple we used to be…"

Ariel blinked a few times. Then she giggled.

"What's so funny?" Stitch wanted to know.

She wrote something, then showed it to them. "Grey was in here earlier. Doubting himself. You shouldn't doubt YOURSELF."

"…well, I don't-wait, Grey was in here? Where'd he go? Why was he in here?"

"Left for hospital. Something about Rupert." Ariel remarked.

Stitch and Angel looked at each other.

"Rupert must have been denied his job…"

"Don't Mr. and Mrs. Pelekai work as administrators for the hospital, picking out who's going to work at the hospital?"

"He's going to get revenge."

"We've got to go stop him!" Angel grinned. "Finally I can taste hamster…"

MEANWHILE…

Daviegh slammed her head into her pillow over and over. "What am I going to do? I can't possibly get this done?! I'm not smart enough or the SATs…"

RING! RIIING!

Daveigh groaned. "Hold on!" She shouted. Maybe it was Sandy. She really needed to talk to somebody right now. She headed out her bedroom, down the elevator that led to the upstairs hallway, down the stairs to the ground floor, then went to the front door, opening it up…

"Oh crud." She groaned.

It was Leroy. And he had someone with him.

"Hello Daveigh. I know it's going to be 3 days before your birthday, but I brought you a present." Leroy snickered, his black jumpsuit looking very bright and clean. "This here is my qualified assistant. He might look familiar since he shares 80 of Jumba's DNA…"

The experiment with him was short, round and had some stubby black hair. He had thick glasses and was wearing a white labcoat. He had purple skin with a light purple belly, and most noticeable of all was the fact that he had four yellow eyes with brown pupils, two big, two small, lined up in a diagonal fashion, with the smaller eyes being slightly higher and to the right of the bigger eyes.

"This is Jumby's clone, Gizmo. He's quite the inventor."

"Ooh, ooh, what a fine specimen…" Gizmo gasped, seeing Daveigh in person. He immediately ran forward…or rather, waddled forward at a fast speed…and grabbed her arm, examining her and poking her there. "Soft skin…good eyes…" He added, looking up at her. "Well-developed body…and from what I've heard, you've got great intelligence. Though nobody's smarter than I am when it comes to building machines, hee-hee-hee…"

"Get offa me!" Daveigh shouted, pulling her hand free. "What do YOU want, Leroy?!"

"Oh, we're going to have some fun with you until Eclipse gets back from killing your parents." Leroy explained calmly, picking his nose and flicking a booger away.

Daveigh's heart stopped for a brief moment. "Ki-killing my parents?" She asked. "Wh-why?"

"Well, according to some stupid Prophecy, the Princess is supposed to be an orphan. So…" Leroy shrugged. "Your parents are going to die. As for you, well, the prophecy also states that "The Sands of Time will ravage her", so…GIZMO!"

Gizmo injected a needle with pinpoint speed and accuracy into Daveigh's bloodstream. She gasped, then began to fall into a sleepy, dizzy state. She spiraled back, groaning as Gizmo held up a suitcase.

"Shall I set up the machine?" He asked.

"Hurry up. We don't know how much longer until Eclipse gets here, and he'll be angry if we don't finish on schedule…"

Esmeralda walked towards the house, hands on her hips. She had a nasty grin on her face as she sauntered up the steps. "Am I too late to join in the party?" She thought to herself.

MEANWHILE…

Rupert had parked the car and was now bolting into the building. He ducked underneath a human's legs, slid across the floor and hopped up on the secretary's desk.

"Where's the Pelekai's office?!" He shouted.

The secretary, a frumpled, frizzled, red-haired woman, blinked.

"…what?" She asked in an annoyingly high-pitched tone.

"Where is the Pelekai office? Tell me, quick!" He demanded.

"Why do you want to know?" She asked.

Rupert knew that she wouldn't buy the "their life is in danger" line. So he lied. "They made a terrible, TERRIBLE mistake with their latest choice in choosing a new doctor, I have to get them to change their minds."

"Oh I TOTALLY understand, sweetie. Down the hall, up the stairs, first door on ya right." She said, jabbing her thumb.

"Mahalo." He said, jumping off the desk and running down the hallway at full speed.

Just a couple minutes after he started bounding up the steps, Sandy and Heartwing arrived at the hospital, walking into the front lobby. Heartwing sniffed the air.

"…oh no…" He squeaked. "No…smell of the dying…smell of the dying from the first floor…"

"So?" Sandy asked. Then he realized why that was a bad thing…the first floor was solely made for administrative purposes. Nobody was treated on that floor.

"Oh NO!" He gasped.

Then, who should enter but Stitch and Angel. Stitch jumped up to confront the secretary at her desk. "Did a white, furry alien just come in here, asking about the Pelekais?" He asked.

"Yeah, wanted to talk to them about the applicant process, said they'd made a mistake…"

"We've gotta stop him!" Angel said, rushing down the hallway with Stitch right behind, heading up the stairs.

"Could Rupert have…" Sandy asked, turning to Heartwing.

"Don't think so, but…the smell…" Heartwing gulped.

They took off after Stitch and Angel, also running up the stairs.

Daveigh woke up to find herself strapped in to a large, capsule-like machine. It was smooth and grey in color, with a small control console strapped to the side. There was a large hourglass insignia on the left, and a string of lights at the top. Leroy walked around her, hands behind his back, looking very pleased with himself. He grinned and pointed at Daveigh, then at the machine.

"YOU are going to be the "Chronoforce's" first test subject." He told Daveigh. "It's designed for one purpose: altering the ages of those in its grasp."

Gizmo began explaining how it worked. "It's a matter of altering the time inside of the capsule to reconfigure your age. What we do is accelerate or reverse the flow of time by controlling the natural chronotons that become generated by-"

"Yada-yada-yada, big sciencey talk, don't wanna hear it." Leroy remarked, waving a hand dismissively in the air. "Eclipse will be here soon and we can get the party started."

"You sick little-!!" Daveigh shouted.

"Should have put a gag on you." Leroy mumbled. "But I want to hear screaming, so…anyhow, Gizmo, when we age her to death, what do you think? Older or younger?"

"Hmm…well the younger bit will simply make her cease to exist…" Gizmo stated. "Although watching her shrink and form from a child to a baby to a fetus to an embryo would look quite intriguing…"

"Indeed…but if we make her older, we get to watch her turn to dust…" Leroy said, rubbing his chin.

"Lemme go, lemme go, lemme go!" Daveigh protested, squirming around.

"Oh be quiet! You should feel honored. You are going to make history, Davey-girl…"

Daveigh gasped as a familiar, red-skinned form entered the room, smiling. "Esmeralda? Help!" She begged.

"I'm afraid not." Esmeralda said, putting one clawed finger to her lip "It's nothing personal, Davey-girl." She hopped up into the machine and traced a claw down her cheek, a long red line appearing. She grinned cruelly at her. "My dear baby's gonna be here soon enough." She then stuck her tongue out and licked the blood free from Daveigh's chin. "I'll be coming back later for some fun with your friends. I know they'll come to try and help you out, especially that little hamster. Like I said before…until I eat him, he's all I'll think about."

She promptly grabbed Daveigh by both cheeks and suddenly kissed her full on the lips, letting go with a satisfied "Ahhh!" as if turned on by the act. She then leapt out, and laughing in that silvery, beautiful cry of hers, headed out the door, passing by a familiar black dragon-like experiment who had just entered the room, tail sweeping back and forth slightly, his voice filling the room.

"She's quite the girl, Esmeralda…don't you think so, Daveigh?"

"E-Eclipse…"

"Hello dear princess…" Eclipse said, slowly walking towards her, his eyes glittering. "Are your ready to die, precious one?"

"You…you've…" She whimpered.

Eclipse nodded. "I have. Don't cry for them. They're in a better place now. Soon you'll be joining them."

Rupert didn't want to open the door. The smell was overpowering. But he couldn't help it. He slowly opened the door, filled with a horrifying sense of fear…

"Oh no." He whispered.

Mr. and Mrs. Pelekai had, mercifully, not known what was coming when they'd been attacked. They had been grabbed from behind by his tail, no doubt, and their throats had been ripped open on the spot. There was blood sprawled all over the walls and the windows, and their heads were hanging back, with eyes unable to ever see…

Oh GOD…

Wait…

Mrs. Pelekai's eyes were closing…and opening…she was still alive.

"Mrs. Pelekai!" He shouted, rushing to her. Stitch, Angel, Heartwing and Sandy were in the hallway now and rushing to the door. They saw him trying to ease Mrs. Pelekai to the ground. "Mrs. Pelekai, please, wake up, wake up!" He shouted.

"…where's…Daveigh?" She whispered.

"At home-oh God, oh God, please don't die!" Rupert begged.

"Help…her…he'll…he'll kill her…" She pleaded with Rupert. "He'll kill my little baby…"

"I won't let him, I WON'T…" Rupert sobbed, burying his face in her chest. "I'm so sorry I didn't get here earlier…I promise, everything will be alright from now on!"

"Not…your fault…go…help…my…baby…" She begged.

Rupert bolted past the rest of them, tears still in his eyes. Grey was right behind him. Heartwing and Sandy ran to the aid of Mrs. Pelekai while Stitch and Angel turned to each other.

"He wasn't here to hurt them after all, he was trying to save them…" Stitch realized out loud.

"We have to go save Daveigh!" Angel told Stitch, shaking him slightly.

"How are we going to reach her house in time?" Rupert moaned to himself, sweat pouring down his brow as he ran outside of the hospital.

Grey looked around. He saw cars, the parking lot, the sky…two trees, side by side…

"Got it." He said. "Rupert, grab onto my back and hold on TIGHT." He told the alien. Rupert looked confused, but he trusted Grey. He clung onto his back as the experiment ran over to the trees, jumping up and grabbing two long, strong branches.

"Hold…on…" He mumbled, and then leapt off the ground.

The two trees had been bending down heavily thanks to Grey's efforts. But now they snapped forward, and he let go as a white aura surrounded him, giving him an extra boost. They sailed through the air…

"Please…whatever you're planning on doing…don't…" Daveigh begged, fighting against the tight, rope-like bonds that held her.

"You must die, child. One way or another. This way has simply come before any other opportunities. You should thank me. You'll get to see your parents again, and if you're lucky…" Eclipse grinned cruelly, holding onto her chin with his claws. "If you're a really good girl, maybe Elvis will sing a song for you…"

He kissed her on the cheek, then hopped out of the machine, standing by Leroy and Gizmo. He raised a hand. "Do it. Age her to dust."

"As you wish." Gizmo said, flipping a switch.

Strange blue/white energy swirled around the capsule, going around and around like some sort of unholy train set. Then it suddenly poured over Daveigh, covering her body completely, and she began to feel prickling all over.

-Oh no-no-noooo!-

"STOP! AAAA!" She screamed.

Stretching, pulling, tearing…

Daveigh felt tears go down her cheeks. "AAAAA! PLEAAAASE! STOOOOPPPP!" She wailed.

Eclipse simply, slowly, put his claws down, resting them on his hips, watching her intently. How regretful that she kept screaming…

Then it happened. Rupert and Grey burst through the window, breaking it apart into a million little pieces. They jumped up, and Grey thrust his hand forward with a growl. A burst of purple energy rose up, swirling around his arm and shooting out, striking Gizmo and Leroy and Eclipse, knocking them away. Arms flailing, Gizmo flicked the switch to turn the Chronoforce off, and Daveigh gasped as the energy flow stopped. Rupert leapt up into the machine to get her out.

"Hold on Daveigh, we'll get you out of here in a second." He said, gnawing through the ropes.

Grey, meanwhile, was punching the CRAP out of Gizmo and Leroy, having buried them both deep into the floor. Left, right, left, right, he would not let up. But then he realized…where was Eclipse?

"You have angered me, little rat! So now you'll be punished!" Eclipse snarled, rushing through the air, grabbing Daviegh and flinging her to the side. Grey jumped up and caught her as Rupert was tied up inside of the machine. Grinning cruelly, Eclipse ran over to the machine and flicked it on, changing the dial…

Now RUPERT was screaming and hollering. Grey and Daveigh watched in horror as Eclipse laughed and laughed…

"YOOOOUUU!" Stitch hollered, rushing through an open window and strangling Eclipse from behind, while Angel gnawed on his leg, drawing blood. Eclipse screamed in pain and fell back, tussling with the two experiments. All three of them rolled around, biting, kicking and punching. Eclipse managed to knock Angel away and she rolled on the floor…right on top of Gizmo, her lips touching his.

"WOOHOO!" He exclaimed. Now if he played his cards right, he would no longer be a virgin! He tried to hold her still-

She kicked him in the balls and jumped back on Eclipse, resuming the fight. "Ow…_OW_…" Gizmo whimpered.

Grey and Daveigh ran over to the console, and Grey gulped.

"I don't know how to work something like this…" He admitted. "I'm HOPELESS with science and math and stuff! One of these switches though, I saw Gizmo press one and it stopped the energy flow…"

"Let me see…" Daveigh said, taking a closer look at the console. "Basic design is…it reminds me of Jumba's DNA re-sequencer!" She exclaimed. "And the off switch was always…BLUE." She flicked a big blue switch and let out a sigh of relief as Rupert gasped and fell out of the capsule, the bonds already weakened from earlier.

She and Grey ran over to help him up while Stitch and Angel snarled at Eclipse, who tossed them a brief, hateful look before smiling cruelly. "Another time." He whispered, jumping out the window and soaring into the air on his big, bat-like wings.

Stitch and Angel let out a sigh of relief. "We did it…" Stitch said.

"We drove him off…" Angel got out.

"Yeah, that was really brave of you." Daveigh said.

The couple looked at each other. Then they smiled.

"Yes…it was…" Stitch realized.

"It was pretty smart of you, Daveigh, figuring out how to turn the machine off." Angel said.

"…I guess so…" Daveigh admitted. "And Grey, how did you get here so fast?"

Grey grinned. "I used a couple of trees to propel myself here, and used my aura to enhance the maximum speed of my flight. It's like I got in a big catapult."

"Quick thinking!" Daveigh complimented. "That was pretty clever!"

"…really?" Grey asked.

Then they all took a good look at Daveigh. A REALLY good look.

"You're…taller…" Grey realized.

"You're…not…flat…" Stitch spoke.

"Daveigh, I think…I think you're a teenager…" Angel gasped.

Daveigh looked down. She…she WAS a teenager!

"Boy, these clothes are TIGHT…" She joked.

Then they got a good look at Rupert, who was waking up, rubbing his head.

"Wh-what happened? My body feels tingly."

They were all gaping at him.

"What? Is something on my face?" Rupert asked.

"Rupert…you look…a little taller…" Grey told him.

"You've lost weight too!" Daveigh added.

"I think you've lost some years!" Stitch agreed.

Rupert looked down at his body.

"Good LORD!" He shouted. "I feel GOOD! My-my voice? It sounds less high and heavy…I'm younger!" He realized out loud.

It was then that Sandy and Heartwing arrived, heads hung low.

"…we…we couldn't…we…" Sandy mumbled, sniffing slightly.

Heartwing couldn't stop crying. He fell to the ground, curling up, bawling like a baby, beautiful crystalline tears falling down his cheeks. Stitch and Angel walked over to him and helped him up, allowing the little green dragon to cry into them.

Sandy looked up at Daveigh and Rupert and gasped. "You…you look a little more…and a little less…what HAPPENED?!"

Grey explained everything easily enough. And Sandy was impressed with Daveigh's skill. "You're pretty good at that sorta thing, sis." He stated.

"I wish I could have had a daughter like you." Rupert admitted.

Grey smiled at both Sandy and Rupert as they looked at each other, a look of understanding on their faces. "I'm glad you idealize her like that." Grey said softly. "Hey…" He hugged Daveigh. "I think we're all gonna be alright." He told her before he let go.

"Everything will be alright." Rupert agreed happily.

Daveigh smiled. "Yeah, you know its gonna…gonna be…ohhh…" She grabbed her head and groaned. "So…so tired…"

Suddenly she hit the floor, losing consciousness, unable to hear their shouts and cries.

"Oh dear…we gotta get her to the hospital." Rupert said. "Quick, help me prop her up!"

Sandy held Daveigh's hand as they helped her up. "Hold on sis…just hold on…"

The door opened. Ashton stood there, holding a backpack. "Hey Daveigh, I know the SATs are coming up and I could use some hel-what the? DAVEIGH!?" He exclaimed.

"Ashton, call 911!" Rupert shouted. "Daveigh's hurt…she's been hurt badly…"

Ashton went pale.

Then he nodded. "Alright, I got it…" He said, taking out his cell phone and putting it to his ear, hello, 911, please listen there's been an awful accident…

…

…

…

"…how's she doing, Rupert?" Ashton asked.

Rupert exited Daveigh's room. He had his hands behind his back and he sighed as he faced everyone out in the hallway of the hospital.

"She's…she's in an unresponsive state." He said. "The strain of the Chronoforce…it put a lot on her. She was in a frightened state, a horrible state of mind when they activated it…the stress just built up and now she's unconscious, trying to sleep it off. But…we don't know how to get her to wake up." Rupert admitted. "I just talked with her doctors, they can't think of anything, this is an unusual case…"

"If only we had something that could cheer her up." Heartwing said.

"…we'd better give her some time to rest." Sandy reasoned. One by one, they left, save for Grey and Ashton, who stood out of her door with Rupert.

"It's too bad the Beatles aren't around. If they could perform for her, she'd probably wake up and give them a big hug, then ask them for their autograph." Rupert commented.

"That's right, she's a HUGE Beatles fan." Grey said, rubbing his chin. "But they're LONG gone…and I don't know where to find any Beatles impersonators…" He sighed. "Let's just let her get some sleep…"

"It's gonna be alright…we just need to give her some time." Rupert thought out loud.

He and Rupert walked off. Ashton sat on the seats outside of her door and waited for the other doctors to leave, then went inside.

Daveigh was sitting in a big, white hospital bed, her head resting against her pillow, her beautiful 14 year old face looking out.

Ashton blinked a few times. Then an idea came to him. He held her hand.

"There were bells…on a hill…but I never heard them ringing! No I never heard them all…till there was you…there were birds…in the sky…but I never…saw them winging! No I never saw them at all…till there was you…"

Daveigh seemed to briefly open her mouth…but nothing else. It was probably just to breathe.

"Daveigh…If I was a bit older and my voice was a bit better, I'd knock your socks off." Ashton swore.

…

…

…

It had been an entire day, and it was early in the morning. A large crowd had gathered outside of the hospital. Daveigh had a lot of well-wishers, after all, she'd just lost her parents, had had her age changed, and now she was in a comatose-like state. They were determined to stay there until the doctors woke her up.

"She's gonna get better, right?" Charlie asked Stitch, who ruffled Charlie's hair. The large crowd was all outside, looking up at her big room window.

"She'll get better. She has to." Sandy said quietly.

Esmeralda allowed a smile to pass over her lips. "I wonder if she's dreaming?" She asked softly. "Maybe it's better to dream asleep than to live awake…"

"How can you say that?!" Charlie asked, looking horrified.

Esmeralda shrugged. "What kind of life's left for the poor girl?" She asked.

Hearting glared at her. "EVIL! EVIL!" He snarled.

She stuck her tongue out at him, but then somebody deliberately shoved her from behind…it was none other than Jay.

"OOPS. Did I do THAT?" He asked, snickering as he walked off. Esmeralda had landed right in front of Heartwing's feet.

"Ohh…" She groaned, holding her head. Then she blinked. "Say…your feet smell like vanilla flowers on a spring breeze…"

"It's a dragon thing." Heartwing stated.

"…freak." Esmeralda muttered, walking off. "I hate vanilla."

"…meany…" Charlie mumbled.

Grey wasn't there. He was back at her house, on top of the roof, looking out. He could see the town, the ocean, the valleys and mountains…but what he wanted to hear was that call from Rupert, that one call that would tell him whether Daveigh would be alright...

He faced the east, in the direction of the hospital, and sighed as the wind blew his brown hair and grey fur back.

"Please be alright." He begged. "Please God don't you **do** this to her…she's _ohana_…"

Back at the hospital, people were nervous. They were talking amongst each other. Couldn't there be something that they could do to cheer her spirits up, even if she couldn't respond?

Then…they all heard it…

**BGM: All You Need Is Love, from Across the Universe**

_There's nothing you can do that can't be done…  
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung…  
Nothing you can say, but you can learn how to play the game…  
It's ea-sy!_

Everyone looked around for the source of the singer. His voice sounded familiar, and yet…

_There's nothing you can make that can't be made...  
No one you can save that can't be saved…  
Nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be in time…  
It's ea-sy!_

Then Heartwing pointed. "There!" He exclaimed. They all looked up…and saw, on the rooftop of the "indoor parking area", just across from Daveigh's room, microphone hooked up to a stereo…

_All you need is love!  
All you need is love!  
All you need is love, love…  
Love is all you need!_

Ashton had had to make a stop at Daveigh's house for a few…things…but it had been worth it. They members of the crowd all looked at each other. Then, suddenly, Angel, Carmen and Bonnie began singing.

"Love, love, love…love, love, love…"

_There's nothing you can know that can't be known!  
Nothing you can see that isn't shown…  
No where you can be, that isn't where you're meant to be…  
It's ea-sy!_

And suddenly others began to join in. Sandy, Heartwing, Legion and Jenkins, Chopsuey and his children, Bonnie and Clyde, Gnash and Ark, all of them began to sing out with Ashton.

_All you need is love!  
All you need is love!  
All you need is love, love…  
Love is all you need!_

Now the whole crowd began to sing along, a gleeful look upon their faces as the song drifted up and around, filling the air.

_All you need is love!  
All you need is love!  
All you need is love, love…  
Love is all you need!_

From inside her room, Daviegh's eyes slowly fluttered open, as a furry white hand gripped her own tightly, a smile upon the face that came with the hand, and a tear on the cheek that went with the face. She had heard it, she had HEARD it…

_All you need is love!  
All you need is love!  
All you need is love, love…  
Love is all you need!_

Daveigh slowly slipped out of bed and stepped towards the front window. Ashton felt the microphone slip out of his hands as he took a few steps forward, seeing her finally move in her bed. And now she was approaching the window. His eyes became wider, and with his new 15-year-old body he stepped forward, nervously, shakingly…

_Love is all you need…_

_Love is all you need!_

_Love is all you need…_

_Love is all you need!_

"We love you yeah, yeah, yeah! He loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Heartwing sang out happily.

_Love is all you need…_

_Love is all you need!_

_Love is all you need…_

_Love is all you need!_

Rupert held up his cell phone and made the call. Grey's face picked up. The phone fell down from his hands and just as the sun rose up, finally making itself fully visible, he leapt into the air and punched the sky in triumph, his silhouette against the risen sun.

_All you need is love, love…  
Love is all you neeeeeeeed!_

**Author's Note:**

**I think that that was just beautiful. What more can I say, besides "Stay tuned for the next arc?" and of course, don't forget to read and review. **

**No, I don't think I am going to give away the title of the arc until the next chapter comes out, and even then you probably won't know what's going to happen. That's called "smart storytelling" folks. Aloha for now...and enjoy this interesting preview which will only serve to taunt you and make you wonder what the heck is going on during the next chapter!**

_"Out, out, I have a lot more people to examine." Rupert said, tossing the golf club to the side. "By the way, how IS your dad doing in prison? Besides hiding things in his anus he seems to be quite busy…"_

_"I hope someone stuffs you up THEIR butt." Jenkins muttered._

_"Have a nice day." Rupert said, waving goodbye._

_"**I hope you die!**" Jenkins growled angrily._

_..._

_"You'll have to excuse the mess, I have to sort out the different personal information of the waitresses who work there." Bartimaeus said. He held up one of the papers. "This one contains Esmeralda's personal information, but it's almost completely forged: it says she's 30, for starters…"_

_Rupert took the paper in his paw and looked it over. "Hmm…interesting…er, "hobbies"…I thought this skill was illegal in 32 states..."_

_"Yeah that part is real, you, eh, might wanna skip it." Bartimaeus suggested. _

_..._

_"Oh…that's an awful story." Rupert said softly._

_"Vee's out of prison now, but she's only out because Stitch is giving her one chance, THIS chance. She pulls this off and she's to be pardoned. Of course if she sees Barty-boy she'll probably make him eat his tail…"_

_"And Ranku?"_

_Jude took a deep breath. "His father, Sneak, fell in love with a beautiful Japanese woman. Unfortunately his mother abandoned him and her two children and left him to care for them himself. Sneak's no longer with us, sadly…but his children grew strong. Ranku was deeply affected by his mother leaving, since she didn't want to give birth to a freak…"_

_"Oh…that's…that's terrible…" Rupert whispered._


	17. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Gizmo panted rapidly, holding onto his chest. He and Leroy had been cuffed and taken away by the police, but HE'D managed to escape because he had a secret toolkit stuck inside of his stomach that he'd swallowed before coming to Daveigh's house a while ago. He always did that whenever he went out, just in case. And it had paid off. Now he was running for freedom. Maybe he could hide in Australia…

He ran to the Western Beach, seeing a motorboat parked there. Success! He grinned, jumping inside of it. He quickly hotwired the motor and was soon streaking across the ocean. After about half an hour of travel, he finally came to a halt…

But it wasn't because he wanted to. The engine had mysteriously died.

"What on EARTH? This is very illogical." He stated, checking the gas gauge. He crawled over the top and onto the front hood of the motorboat, opening it up. "Let's see-GAAAWWWKKK!!"

He had been grabbed around the throat and was now hovering in the air along with Eclipse, whose claws dug in. The dragon had apparently been hiding inside of the front hood.

"I don't like cowards. I escaped because I was soundly beaten. You didn't even fight back at all. You're a cowardly little bookworm." He said.

"AAA-AAAA…" Gizmo gasped.

"Now then…" Eclipse said, raising one claw. "What to do with you?" He asked.

"Mercy, please…" Gizmo managed to get out.

"Mercy? Hmm." Eclipse rubbed his chin. "Alright, I'll give you a chance." He decided. "I estimate you're about an hour of swimming away from Niihau. If you swim hard, you'll make it there in 40 minutes. You make it there and STAY there…you get to live."

Gizmo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh…one more thing…" Eclipse said, raising the claw again and bringing it down slowly, cutting a line into Gizmo's neck. Blood seeped out. "There you go."

He tossed Gizmo into the water, eyes glittering as a smile danced over his face. "Better hurry." He whispered, flying away.

Gizmo whimpered fearfully, and swam as fast as he could towards the island of Niihau as the trail of blood flowed out from his cheek and into the water with a drip…drip…drip…

MEANWHILE…

Rupert rubbed his chin. "Alright, I'm going to tell you what I told my LAST patient. LAY OFF THE BREAD." He put the stethoscope on his ears back on his neck and sighed. "Any experiment of "beeble" design has a hard problem digesting foods with a high amount of carbohydrates. So stick to protein-basted foods…" He reached into a nearby drawer and took out a notepad, beginning to write down something. "And here. This is the kind of vitamin prescription you need." He handed it to his patient. "Now go, go, quick like a bunny, I've got lots of patients."

The bug-eyed, spike-backed experiment nodded and walked out of Rupert's office.

"Next!" He called out, looking down at his chart which listed the most recent patients.

"So, what's your name and what's the problem?" He asked, looking up. He gaped.

"JENKINS? What are you doing here?" He asked.

Rupert had established himself as a very good doctor when it came to taking care of the experiments. With his first paycheck he'd bought Daveigh three new impressive-looking outfits for her birthday. And since he was now a 30-year-old, this meant that he wasn't just some old fart…he was younger than a good deal of the people he treated. This meant gloating in some cases.

"…I'm…I'm kinda…er…" The son of Leroy turned around.

"Oh by Sude's beard…how on EARTH did that get in there?!" Rupert asked Jenkins. The experiment had a golf club stuck into his rectum.

Of course, this sort of injury wasn't uncommon.

"I fell on it." Legion lied, in regards to a mouse.

"I had to hide them SOMEWHERE and I panicked, so…" Leroy mumbled in regards to his plasma pistols. Now he'd have to get a new pair. Not that he could from inside of jail.

"I was really bored." Officer Kiule admitted in regards to a pen.

"I was really high." Chopsuey said in a voice that revealed he was still riding on Cloud 9. He had a light bulb stuck up there.

But the answer that came from Jenkins was…

"Chopsuey was really high, and he was really _**angry**_ with me for calling him a "fogey". That answer your question?" He asked angrily. "Just get it out, PLEASE…"

Rupert could not help but grin evilly as he dialed his office phone. "Hello? Davey, listen, I'm gonna be a little late getting home…yeah, it's one of THOSE cases…"

With Daveigh having no parents and Sandy having no job, the task of taking care of Daveigh Pelekai had fallen to her next of kin…unfortunately she HAD no other next of kin. So they'd gone to "close friends of the family" instead…but unfortunately Stitch and Angel were not legally allowed to make Daveigh their daughter since they already were taking care of a human child, nor could they handle it…they were dealing with the oncoming birth of a **new** child. Experiments still didn't exactly have the same rights as humans did.

Luckily though, Heartwing and Sandy's attempt to save the Pelekai's lives hadn't been in vain. Mrs. Pelekai had gurgled out that she'd wanted Rupert and Sandy to look after her daughter, and since Rupert had a job, he was the now the adoptive father of one Daveigh Pelekai and Sandy Pelekai. Grey continued to live in their basement to do their chores.

It was on a normal day that three different requests were made. One for something very unusual, one for something that became dangerous, one for something that should have been fun. All of them ended in pain.

It started, not too surprisingly, with Rupert finishing up with Jenkins.

TUUUUUG!

"I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU SO MUUUU-OOOOOHHHHHHUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!"

SCHWOO-OOOOOP!

PLOIK!

"There." Rupert said, holding the golf club up, a pair of thick plastic gloves covering his paws. "All out."

"Don't…tell…**_anyone_** where that's been…" Jenkins threatened.

"Out, out, I have a lot more people to examine." Rupert said, tossing the golf club to the side. "By the way, how IS your dad doing in prison? Besides hiding things in his anus he seems to be quite busy…"

"I hope someone stuffs **you** up **THEIR** butt." Jenkins muttered.

"Have a nice day." Rupert said, waving goodbye.

"**I hope you die!**" Jenkins growled angrily.

Ignoring this usual threat, Rupert called out for the next patient to enter his office as he looked down from his chair, gazing at the list of patients who had come in so far on his snazzy metal clipboard. "Your name and the affliction that you've been struck with?" He asked.

"Lord Stitch Pelekai and Lady Angel Pelekai. My own personal affliction is Athlete's Foot and Angel has pregnancy cravings. But we're really here to speak with YOU, Rupert."

Rupert looked up, groaning as Stitch and Angel entered the room, dressed in full regalia. "Bon Dieu dans le Ciel…what's the problem then, 626?" He asked.

"As you know by now, Niihau is extending the offer of peace to Oahu." Stitch said, crossing his arms.

Rupert nodded. He'd read about that in the "Kokaua Town Herald".

"But the problem is that Oahu currently appears to be dealing with a crisis. People are…disappearing." Stitch said, his voice getting low. Angel went to close, lock and block the door. "Now what I'm about to tell you is STRICTLY confidential. Only a few other people are aware of this, and they're part of the force we've chosen to create to deal with this problem. We believe that the disappearances are connected with the "Hooters of Honolulu" restaurant that's located on Oahu."

Rupert blinked. "…Hooters? What on Earth is "_Hooters_"?"

"Ask Legion. He'll tell you everything. The point is, it's a bar, and it's famous, and people tend to disappear around it." Stitch said.

"We've been doing long-distance surveillance, but we also have a spy working for us in Oahu, a close friend of the family." Angel said. "Her name is Hanako. She actually lives one block away from the Hooters and she works at a convenience store that's across from the bar. She's been noticing shady and dangerous characters there…among them somebody you might know, that…that B—H, Esmeralda!" Angel swore, clenching her fists and holding them up in fury.

"She apparently has been doing work at the bar…which is strange, considering how hated Experimental Americans are there. It would be a miracle if she got a janitorial position, let alone the fact that she seems to a big attraction." Stitch informed the albino.

"…big…attraction?" Rupert asked.

"Apparently they find her to be a very sexy experiment."

"So do I!" Jay's snickered from the window. Rupert immediately jumped up onto the window sill, getting in Jay's face. Then he bopped him right on the nose. Jay's eyes crossed for a moment, and then he fell out of the window, onto the ground below with a cry of "Hope you diiiiiiiie!!"

"Hurensohn! Ihre mutter war eine hündin und ihr vater ist ein verfluchter idiot!" Which translates into "SOB, your mother was a female dog and your father is a stupid f—k!" With a snarl he slammed the window shut.

Stitch blinked. This was one of the few times he was actually SCARED of "the rat doctor". He composed himself and went on. "…anyhow, we want you and a task force to follow her and get the truth from her. Find out what's going on with this bar. See if you can find the missing people. And by all means, ARREST HER." Stitch said. "She's in league with Eclipse, she's got to be taken down."

"You're going to have some help." Angel said. "Grey, Jude, Pele and Hiaka are going, as well as four other members of the 10 Elemental Generals."

"Oh, right…say…" Rupert rubbed his chin. "How are Kuko and Peleka doing?"

The two "trogs" gave each other looks.

"Er…well, on the one hand, they're talking to us again."

"On the other hand, Kuko still thinks I love Sandy more than him. And he's still not eating right."

"Okay, okay, but shouldn't we bring somebody who has stealth capabilities?" Rupert asked. "I mean, we're going to be tracking a dangerous-"

"That's where Hogan and the Wyrd Sisters come in." Stitch said. "Hogan was born in Australia, he was raised by Anzac to track down wild animals. And the Wyrd Sisters can blend into shadow and the darkness as easily as breathing. They'll prove invaluable."

"And Daveigh and Ashton are going to be assisting as well. They volunteered after we sent them word that you'd be going." Angel said happily. "And don't worry about them, they'll be safe, they're with Bartimaeus."

"Barti-who?" Rupert asked.

"He's…er…well, he's a very reliable source of information. He can sneak around ANYWHERE. In fact, he's the one who discovered the disappearances were taking place while we sent him on recon over in Oahu."

"What sort of person is he?" Rupert asked.

Stitch looked a bit nervous, then an idea hit him. "Introduce yourself as Bartimaeus Iolenui Huelo the Third and say you come from a long line of respected and underappreciated Experimental Americans."

Rupert was puzzled, but did so. He put his paw on his chest and began to introduce himself the way they wanted. "I am Bartimaeus Iolenui Huelo the Third, and I am from a long line of respected and underappreciated-"

"SHUT UP, BARTY!" Both Angel and Stitch shouted at the same time. Rupert stopped, blinking.

"So now you know what he's like." Angel said. "Annoying."

"He's a sell-out. He'd rat his mother out to the IRS for cheating on her taxes if it would save his own skin. But…and this is a very BIG but…he's amazing at police work. In fact, he's head of the Undercover Law Enforcement Department of our territory and has busted more crooks than anybody we ever employed…well, except for Sparky, the former Supreme Judge. Also, Barty has been able to get dozens of Experimental Americans over in Oahu off of the hook since he knows every single legal loophole there is from years of experience as a lawyer. He and Daveigh be giving you your marching orders through this…"

She poked Rupert in the ear, and he rubbed it. Then he heard a voice…

"Rupert? Rupert, do you read me?"

"D-Daveigh?" He said, surprised. "What the?"

"World's Smallest Communicator!" Daviegh said proudly. "Another Dr. Chansey special, she's AMAZING. Ashton's watching from the skies, he's got control over satellite feed, and I'll be guiding you every step of the way. Just leave it to us!"

"Am I to understand I'm speakin' to the one and only Doc Hammy?" A voice rang out. For some reason, Rupert did not like this voice, it reminded him of the time he had tried to discover what helium did, and instead of floating up to the ceiling like he'd hoped, all it had done was make his voice sound funny. "I am Bartimaeus Iolenui Huelo the Third and I-"

"-Sound like Mickey Mouse on crack!." Rupert heard Ashton finish.

"I do NOOOOT!" Bartimaeus screeched back, making Rupert cringe.

"Ow-ow-ow! Sensitive ears, BARTY!" He shouted back.

"OW! Hey, I've got sensitive ears too!" Bartimaeus protested. "Just head back to your house, and we shall show you the setup! It was a pain to lug all the equipment in…"

"Naturally, Chopsuey's dealing with their teachers right now. When he's finished, they'll think that Ashton and Daveigh are going to be "taking some time off" because they're sick and dealing with all the stress they've been going through." Stitch said, looking pleased. "We've thought of everything."

Rupert sighed. "Well, I suppose I don't have much of a choice, do-what the?!"

Angel was sucking on his foot. "HEY! 624! **Get off**!" He shouted, pulling it out of her mouth.

"Darn it! You tasted really nice." She admitted.

Rupert held his tail to his chest, eyes going wide. "Crazy pregger!" He groaned. "I will do this mission for you, I'll do it! Just stop thinking of me as some tasty treat!" He said, annoyed and angry.

Angel grinned. "It's simple. You've proven yourself trustworthy. You get this done and not only do you prove yourself to be a worthy asset, but we're going to reward you. We've got quite a bit of CASH to spare…"

She stuck out her tongue and took out from underneath it a beautiful-looking pearl. "Hand-grown with the finest technology we have." She said. "And this…" She put it in Rupert's paw. "Is just a taste of what you could have."

"So tomorrow, when you leave from the airport with our team at Gate 9…you'd better do this right." Stitch said.

Rupert looked at the pearl in his hand. His paw folded over it. "I won't just do this right. I'll do it absolutely WELL." He bragged.

Rupert clocked out earlier than he'd been expecting, and walked inside the house. Ashton was sitting with Daveigh in the living room, and a large computer had been set up with a computer console against it. There were a couple of big display screens now embedded in the wall, showing different locations in what was obviously Honolulu. Ashton was sitting on a chair, going over some papers, and Sandy was standing by Daveigh's side, while a busy-looking human was arraigning some papers.

What surprised Rupert was his appearance. He was wearing a very-nice looking cloaked robe and had a fancy-looking family crest upon the hems of the robe. The crest was that of a golden horseshoe that had the words "Opportunity Knocks" inscribed upon it. The human had incredibly ratty hair and a slightly pointed nose, and his eyes were completely black. He looked rather…well, pitiful and pathetic, somebody that was a waste of space whom you would neither notice nor care about. No WONDER he was such a good spy.

Then he saw Rupert and gaped, and his body underwent a strange transformation. The robes pressed to his body, folding and shrinking as he became smaller and smaller, his nose extending to become rounded and looking vaguely like experiment 113, what was his name…oh, yes, Shoe. He still had ratty hair, but he also had a very long, whip-like tail that was rather slimy in appearance…like a worm's.

He was now mammalian in appearance save for the tail and the ratty hair, and he smiled, showing very perfect teeth. He walked over to Rupert and eagerly shook his paw with his own paws. His grip felt like he'd been using too much hand lotion.

"Honor to meet you, really, really!" Bartimaeus said.

"It's…er…nice to meet you too…" Rupert remarked.

"You'll have to excuse the mess, I have to sort out the different personal information of the waitresses who work there." Bartimaeus said. He held up one of the papers. "This one contains Esmeralda's personal information, but it's all forged: it says she's 30, for starters…"

Rupert took the paper in his paw and looked it over. "Hmm…interesting…er, "hobbies"…"

"Yeah, that part you might wanna skip." Bartimaeus suggested. "Of course, due to Article 9, Subsection 7, Paragraph 3, its now permissible in 36 states to stuff-"

"According to this, 108 people have gone missing." Sandy said. "Most of them white males between the ages of 20-50. It also says that they're all pretty well-paid…" He leafed through the papers again. "And let's see…where did I put the "Mapquest" directions to the airport that Agent Hanako sent over?..."

"This is so totally COOL!" Daveigh said, looking very pleased with herself. "We're like superspies!"

"It feels like a frickin' MOVIE, man!" Ashton said happily. "I feel like George Clooney."

"Spy work is DANGEROUS." Bartimaeus said. "You have to be extremely careful…the enemy could be hiding behind every corner!" He whispered harshly. "Of course, the pay is amazing and I have transformation abilities to change into a human, a spider, a rat and a number of other inconspicuous animals, so I don't mind at all."

"First of all, I just have one question. What's a Hooters?" Rupert asked.

But before Sandy or Bartimaeus could answer that question, Legion burst into the room from the front door, looking around quickly.

"Someone mention "Hooters"? Where? Where?!" He asked, bounding up and down, looking eager and perverted. In short, normal.

"…I asked what the "Hooters Restaurant" is about." Rupert stated.

Legion took Hammy by the shoulder and held his hand up in front of him. "Picture it, Rupert. A huge, beautiful bar/restaurant with kick-ass music…the cushiest seats you could ask for…food that knocks your socks off-they've got AWESOME buffalo wings-and the girls…oh the GIRLS! Long legs, burgundy lips…or violet! Or maybe crimson! And best of all, the HOOTERS on the Hooters girls are…oohhh, yeaaaah…" He began to air-grope an invisible pair of breasts in front of Rupert. "Come on, use your imagination, join me!"

"…you scare me." Rupert stated. "You really do. Get off me, please."

"Point is, the place is incredibly popular." Daveigh said. "But we don't wanna blow it up or anything…we'd look like the bad guys when WE'RE the ones trying to CATCH the bad guys."

"Although we COULD plead Article 23, Subsection 2-3, which states that in the event of a crisis, the public is allowed to bear arms against dangerous non-human threats." Bartimaeus informed them. "But that would only work if we kill Esmeralda, whereas if we try to excuse the deaths of any humans, we'd have to use the old loophole of Article 1-"

Rupert sighed as he walked over to one of the screens, which had focused in on the restaurant. "…look!" He said, pointing. "It's her!"

It was Esmeralda. She looked left, then right, then entered through the front door, grinning. She was wearing only a tank top and shorts. She flicked her hair back slightly as she walked inside.

"Ooh, I get a nasty feeling in my gut looking at her…" Ashton said.

"She's a bad, BAD girl." Daveigh said, crossing her arms.

"True, but she IS a hottie-hot-hottie…" Bartimaeus whispered, licking his chapped lips and rubbing his clawed hands together. Rupert was wiping his paws with some Kleenex, looking disgusted. Couldn't "Barty-boy" cut his nails or wash his hands more?

"Well, you kids have a good time. I'm gonna go home and spend some REAL good times with Belle, and by good times I mean knocking boots." With that, Legion walked out of the house, whistling happily.

Daveigh rolled her eyes. "He must have Perv-Dar or something, the same way Ark has Gay-Dar."

"Gay-Dar"? Oh, right, how one gay person knows another." Rupert said. "I have "prey-dar", I can tell who's naturally picked upon just by looking at them."

"Really?" Daveigh asked.

"Yep." Rupert bragged, jabbing his thumb digit over at Bartimaeus, who immediately began launching into a spew which was interrupted when he realized he was hungry and needed a sandwich. He headed into the kitchen and began helping himself.

"We've got a big day ahead of us." Rupert told his "son and "daughter". "How about I take you all out to Ariel's Aerie? I've heard it's a great place, and since you're both now 15. Bartimaeus, you want to come with us?" He called out.

"MMPPHUGGHH." Bartimaeus said, mouth half full. Finally he swallowed. "Sure, sure!"

SOON…

"CJ! Round of root beer for all of us, some salad for me…"

"And could I have some chips and salsa?" Bartimaeus requested.

"And some chips and salsa!" Rupert called out.

"Hold up, hold up!" CJ called out. "Ariel, why don'tcha give our latest customers some "A&W" straight from the tap?"

Ariel's Aerie was filled to the brim tonight. Ark was there at the bar counter, drinking with Legion and Belle and their family. It was apparently a contest to see who could hold the most beer…Ark and Belle were winning. Gnash was trying to pick a song from the music machine, Chopsuey, Carmen and their children were all at one table chowing down on appetizers, and-

WOAH.

Ariel walked over to them, her antennae swaying slightly, her fur seeming to glow in the light of the bar as her heterochromia-afflicted eyes gazed out at the inhabitants of the table. Rupert gasped, mouth wide open. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

Ariel was carrying four mugs filled with chilled A&W root beer, a plate of salad and some chips and salsa on a large disc. She lowered it down to their table and placed the mugs gently on each of their placemats.

"Thanks." Ashton said.

"Mahalo plenty." Daveigh added.

"Awesome." Sandy exclaimed, sipping on his straw.

Bartimaeus raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ariel but simply began nibbling on some chips.

"Th-thank you very much for this deliciously delicious root beer." Rupert stuttered.

Ariel made a strange gesture with her hand, then walked off.

"You've just seen a face, you can't forget the or place where you just met, she's just the girl for you and you want all the world to see you've met, mmm-hmmm-mmm-mmm-mmm!" Grey sang out, leaving the bar with a Blue Raspberry/Cherry Mixed Icee in his hands, slurping away.

"…" Daveigh watched Grey leave and sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"Grey does…does something to himself every night at Midnight." Daveigh said softly. "One time he walked up into my room and he brushed my hair…and when I opened my eyes just enough for me to peek, I saw it was light out. So I followed him downstairs…"

"Yes, yes?"

"He surrounds himself with his aura, he covers himself in like a big bubble, and that way he…he can surround himself with memories of the past. I stuck my head in and saw one time while he was crying on the floor…he was dreaming that he was back with everyone, back before the invasion. He can't let go of the past, Rupert. He just can't." Daveigh told him. "And he does this every night, I'm not the only one who's seen him in that bubble, sometimes people get woken up and they see a rainbow light shining as it walks down the street…he gets himself lost in his dreams every night and I don't know what to do."

"…" Rupert was unsure of what to say. Then he noticed something…

"Hey! You're eating my salad!" He growled at Bartimaeus. "And why couldn't you pay for your own chips and salsa?"

"Free meal." Bartimaeus said cheekily. "And besides, I don't really need a reason to want to sneak somebody's salad-AAA!" He spat some carrots and tomatoes out. "Bathroom, where's the bathroom?! I'm allergic to garlic!" He howled, rushing to the bathroom.

"Maybe he's a vampire and you'll get to stake his heart." Daveigh laughed.

Rupert was tempted for a moment to agree with her, but he decided instead to change the subject. "Who…who is that that just came by to give us drinks?" Rupert asked.

"Ariel. She's CJ's adopted daughter. She's an albino." Daveigh said. "And she's mute." She added as an afterthought.

"Oh, that's…that's awful." Rupert said. "Yet…still…"

"You only had one girlfriend, but didn't you try to meet other girls when you were away in college?" Daveigh asked.

"Oh, I knew plenty of them, true…but other girls were never quite like that."

"Mmm-mmm! Ariel's amazing, she knows sign language and stuff." Daveigh said. "She gave a presentation to us in class, it was AWESOME." Daveigh said. "Now I can do the scene from Napoleon Dynamite!" She bragged.

"Speaking of Napoleon Dynamite, I was thinking of renting it for tonight, since we don't have any plans." Ashton said. "How about it, Daveigh?" He asked happily.

"Oh, sorry, Ashton, I was asked to this dance at the hula hall."

Ashton blinked. "By who?"

"Lonnie Hāʻule." Daveigh said happily.

"NO!" Ashton shouted.

"Yes!" Daveigh shouted back.

"Lonnie is the biggest sleaze-ball on the island!" Ashton protested.

"Don't be ridiculous." Daveigh said.

"He's a luahele! A lothario! A seducer! A LECH!" He insisted.

"He's a sweet junior and he asked me out to dance at 8!" Daveigh said, twirling one lock of her hair.

"He's got hormones comin' out of his ears!" Ashton complained.

"He went up to me while I was out getting a doughnut earlier today. I was COMPLETELY caught by surprise! And "Ask Smewce" says that a guy who asks a girl out when it's bright and early in the morning is somebody filled with confidence…now THAT's the kind of thing I like to see. Then he surprised me when he guessed what kind of donut I wanted to get!"

"Get used to it, he's FULL of surprises." Ashton grumbled. "You DO have mace, don't you?" He asked angrily.

Rupert watched Ariel go away. She looked back for a moment, smiling at him before she turned away.

Eclipse rested his claws on the area just below his shoulders, looking intently through the window. "…sweet princess…" He crooned at the figure of Daveigh in the window.

Meanwhile, Grey was adjusting some pictures in the living room of the Pelekai house. He noticed Daveigh's photo. "Oh, Daveigh…" He whispered.

Returning to prison after his trip to the hospital, Leroy groaned as he sat back in his cell. Then, when he was sure nobody was looking, etched a small little picture of a certain girl into the wall.

"Your time will come…oooh…your time is going to come…" He growled.

Eclipse narrowed his eyes and whispered.

_I want you…_

_I want you so baaaa-aaa-aaaaad…_

Rupert blinked slowly at Ariel, realizing suddenly that he was singing.

_I want yooo-ooo-oooou…_

_I want you so baaa-aaa-aaad, it's driving me mad,_

_It's driving me mad…_

Grey looked at the picture in his hands, sighing.

_I want you…_

_I want you so baaaa-aaa-aaaaad…_

_I want yooo-ooo-oooou…_

Leroy growled in prison, eyes becoming slits.

_I want you so baaa-aaa-aaad, it's driving me mad,_

_It's driving me…_

They all had the same thought…

_She's so…heavaaaaayyy!_

All four of them went to sleep with two different women on their minds…

Unfortunately, one was woken up early.

"WHA-MMMPPHHH!!"

…

…

…

…"

"Caramelldansens…caramelldansens EVERYWHERE…where am I? What happened?" He muttered.

Grey awoke to find himself inside of a fairly large room. The walls and floor were a dull grey, and there were two lights, one right above him on the left wall and one across from him on the right wall…above a young woman with brownish/red hair. She was obviously scared out of her mind, her white t-shirt and blue jeans were dirty and sweat dripped down from her forehead past her big brown eyes. Above them was a large intercom, which burst to life.

"Hey there, Grey." Esmeralda's voice called out. "I'm doing a favor for my babe. When he found out I managed to sneak into your house and knock you out without your tasty little friend hearing me, he was AMAZED." Grey could imagine a big, satisfied smirk on her face. "Now here's how it's gonna work. You're gonna be kept out of the way so that me and my baby can deal with the princess and her friends. Eclipse can take care of her at the home front while I'm having some fun with them tomorrow night…"

Grey gasped.

"That's right, I found out about Stitchy's little plan. Well, I'm going to have some good times with them, I promise you that. Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee…" She giggled. "Aw, you don't look like you're having fun, Grey! Too bad, so sad…"

A camera? Where? Didn't matter.

"What's with the human woman? Let her go, cousin. She's innocent."

"_**Aw**_, I think you know deep down why she's here." Esmeralda said. "Bye-bye, baby. By the time they figure out where you are…"

She trailed off sinisterly before she turned the intercom off. Grey looked over at the woman. "I'm sorry, I'll try and get us out of here." He insisted.

She just nodded, eyes still fearful. Grey raised himself up and began pounding on the walls…nothing. He only succeeded in getting his knuckles bloodied.

Now he was worried. Kicks did nothing. A headbutt did nothing. Finally he held his hands up and focused his aura. It swirled around him, forming a drilling point that rammed into the wall…but it did nothing but send sparks flying.

Grey fell on his back, panting, wiped out. He was so tired…so thirsty…so hung-

"Oh no…" He whispered. "No-no-no, oh please God no…" He whimpered.

He realized why the woman was in there.

Either they would both starve…or one of them would eat each other…and sooner or later Grey's hunger would rise up and he would get the woman before she could even try to get him. He was a beast, after all.

That poor, deer-eyed woman looking at his panting, sprawled out figure…

She was dinner.

…

…

…

Ashton noticed him walking towards their house. He went outside to meet him, folding his arms across his chest. Lonnie approached. He had perfectly-cut brown hair with a face that looked like it was from some bronze statue. He was Caucasian and had beautiful brown eyes.

"Hey, Luahele…" Ashton asked.

"Yeah? That's me." Lonnie said, grinning. He had a decidedly faint Texan accent.

"I heard you have a certain date tonight…"

"What, were you gonna ask her first? Tough luck, dude…those lips belong to ME!"

Ashton grabbed him and got up close and person, his beatnik glasses almost falling off. "WRONG. Those lips belong to my sister!" He snarled. "Enough said." With that, he let go and walked off to get some air.

"Too much said…" Lonnie mumbled to himself.

…

…

…

…Rupert arrived at the front of the airport with Jude, looking around. "Where's Grey?" He asked Jude. "I mean, I thought he'd left early because he wasn't in the basement. He does such a good job laundering the laundry."

"He's probably in the bathroom." Jude said. "He always eats too much-oh, there they are!"

Jude pointed down the wide hallway at the four figures that were there. Rupert remembered the two girls Pele and Hiaka, they'd escorted him and Grey to Chopsuey's place at Hanalei Bay. He remembered Hogan and the Wyrd Sisters as well, and from the hateful look on Hogan's face it was clear the big lug remembered him.

The other two experiments, however, were different…and kind of…frightening in appearance.

One was an experiment that closely resembled Belle in head-shape. She had a smooth chest and had red-painted nails. She had a small, cute little tail and wore blue jeans, and had on a blue sash across her dark blue chest with the symbol for the element of Electricity across it with a large and heavy black jacket. She was definitely a female, those big golden eyes, the breasts above her soft yellow underbelly, the voice she had gave her away…and the eyes, they glowed…it gave her a chilling aura.

"Name's Voltrinnia Oeoe." She said in a deep, rich voice. "Lady of Lightning."

"…you have crazy eyes." Rupert said.

"I know." Voltrinnia laughed, and that horrible, crackling laugh made Rupert cringe. He half expected lightning bolts to shoot out of her eyes, and he was SURE he saw sparks coming from her teeth as they grinded together slightly in front of him.

The second one was quite chilling in appearance. He had a reptilian face with long sharp fangs on all of his canine teeth, giving him the appearance of a savage beast. He had a body with very well-developed, smooth muscles, and long, red claws. His lower torso was long and his entire body was covered in scales. He looked like a gigantic snake demon, he was as tall as Hogan and to add to him being creepy, the forearm of his wings were white like the rest of his body, but the wing membrane itself was a pulsing set of strips that were black and red. He had a large, rounded blood red gem in the middle of his head, and glowing red eyes. His continued to wind around and around in place, and he wore a blue scarf that was now rested over his shoulder with the symbol for ice upon it.

"This is Ranku Sunten, Ice Lord."

He bowed in a dramatic fashion, and, seeing Jude bow as well, Rupert repeated it.

"Having more skilled people means a better chance for success." Ranku stated. His voice sound like soft satin was passing over a sheet of glass. That smooth voice chilled Rupert to the bone. He smiled in a creepy fashion at Rupert, who smiled nervously back. Snakes DID eat Rabbits…and mice…and rats…and hamsters…and gerbils…

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" Ranku asked.

"_I do, yes_!" Rupert squeaked, knees knocking together.

"Worry not, there is a commode on the plane." Ranku said simply.

"Okay, come on, this way." Pele said. "Let's get a move on, already!"

"Here." Jude said, handing Rupert something. He looked down. "Oh! This is an Ipod!"

"Try the playlist marked "Songs that Rock"." Jude said.

Rupert looked through the playlist and picked the first one, "These Photographs".

As the music began to play in his ears, he felt himself calming down. They all entered the airport and headed down the long hallways to Gate 9.

_You're Sylvia Plath…  
As you drift from the bath!  
I hand you a robe,  
And so it goes,  
The moment'll pass!_

_You're Simone de Beauvoir  
As you get out the car…  
The way you read me,  
No one can see me  
It's who you are!_

_These photographs…keep me alive!_

_Baaaaay-aaaaaaabe, here's your soooong!  
Baaaay-aaaaaabaaayyyy, it took too long…  
To find in your eyes…  
My best surprise!_

Finally they reached Gate 9…and they were the only ones in the immediate area, save for-

"Oh GOODY, I have to take drive YOU to Oahu."

They all turned to look at none other than Jenkins, looking at Rupert. He was wearing, of all things, a pilot's uniform. "Well, _**Hammy**_, you've put me in quite the pickle! See, with those earplugs in your insult to ears everywhere, you can't hear me, but on the **other** hand, the odds are you won't be able to speak and I won't have to listen to your strange soft European accent invade my sleep at night driving me to insanity, so what to do, what to do?!" He asked, tapping his foot, tilting his head slightly to the side. "You know what? I'm fine with the earplugs!"

"What?" Rupert asked, taking them out. "What was that you just said?" He asked.

Jenkins groaned and tore at his head with his claws. "**ARRRRRGH**! Just-just come with me…I should have been a banker, but NO, I wanted excitement, I wanted to be a private pilot, WHY did I let Stitch talk me into this?! I hope you die!" He told Rupert, motioning for everyone to follow him through the doors to outside, where the plane awaited.

Rupert waited for Jenkins to get enough distance and grinned at Jude. "I could hear him through the music." He said.

"Ooh, you're in a naughty mood today." Jude laughed. "Where on EARTH is Grey?...well, we have a schedule to keep, and he CAN fly, so he'll have to meet up with us later."

On the plane, Jude and Rupert sat together while the generals all sat together and Jenkins was flying the plane, groaning about how much they all smelled and how they were "stinking up his plane". Well, except for Jude, who smelled like rosemary.

"Now you should know some things about each of the generals." Jude told him. "First of all brother Rupert, all of them are elemental experiments who have great strength. They were chosen because they're the best masters of their respective elements. I heard you beat Makani…" He turned to look directly at Rupert. "You got VERY lucky. He's one of the nicer Niihau natives. You already met Kioko and Peleka and now about them. Now Pele and Hiaka are sisters, and they're masters of Fire and Water respectively. Hiaka has a temper and Pele can get…well…" Jude tilted his head to the side.

"Mean-spirited?" Rupert asked.

"More like "b—tchy"." Hogan snickered from behind.

"Hogan more than makes up in brawn and metal what me lacks in brains. The Wyrd Sisters are…well, they're occultists."

"I hate weekend Satanists, don't you?" They all said at the same time.

"…I don't like them very much. I think they're responsible for the disappearance of several members of my church's flock…I think they sacrifice them to Satan every Halloween but…but Gosh DARN it, I can't prove it…" Jude hissed. "I'm GOING to though, one day."

"Who created them? Who are their parents?"

"Trust me on this one…you don't wanna know!" Hogan said, stretching over to Rupert and Jude from his seat. "Jude, don't tell them." He told Jude. "You shouldn't have told me, but you did, and now I'm telling YOU…you don't wanna know!"

"Er…what about Ranku and Voltrinnia?"

"Voltrinnia's power of electricity means she has a bioelectrical magnetic field around her that makes it impossible for any bullet or metal object to hurt her. She…well…she's got problems."

"What kind?" Rupert inquired, looking curious.

Jude shook his head. "I can't say anymore. She divulged it in Confession, I have a duty as a priest not to say more about it."

"I can though…" Hogan said. Jude was about to speak up when Rupert suddenly pointed down the aisle.

"Good God…I think that I see Ribera's face appearing on the bathroom mirror!" He exclaimed.

"What? WHERE?" Jude shouted, jumping up and running to the bathroom. Hogan calmly walked over to the door and placed his large paw/hand on it, and metal spread across the door handle, keeping Jude inside. The angry, deceived little choir boy rapped on the door.

"Brother HOGAN! LET-ME-OUT!"

"Later." Hogan said, turning to Rupert and sitting back down. "Now listen…this…this is VERY confidential what I'm gonna tell ya…"

Rupert nodded, understanding.

"Now listen, Voltrinnia is…well, you know how Legion used to get around? Belle had a couple lovers before, and she tried something new: she settled down with somebody she trusted well, hoping one day she'd wake up and be in love, and I'm sure he felt the same way."

"Who?"

"Sparky." Hogan said.

Rupert's eyes went wide. "221, you mean? How's he doing?"

"…look, lemme finish. Now, Voltrinnia, or "Vee" as we like to call her sometimes…she was always rambunctious. She soon became a troublemaking, nasty little kid. She even stole from Bonnie and Clyde once. Then one day she got her hands on a Mayate Cocoon."

"A what?"

"A Mayate Cocoon. Mayatians are Buginoids, insect-like aliens that happen to secret a protective liquid around their children's cocoons. Even the wrappings, if you lick them, you get a buzz. Smoking an entire cocoon makes you think you're flying higher than a million kites! But they're illegal here, Stitch had to put his foot down on them because Mayatians are an endangered race."

Rupert rubbed his chin. "She…she smuggled drugs into Kokaua Town, didn't she?"

"Yes, she did. And she thought nobody knew about it…but then…"

SEVERAL YEARS AGO…

A 5-year-old Daveigh was sitting in her seat next to a grey experiment who gently held her hand in his lap. It was none other than Grey, who was looking at Daveigh like she was a precious gem worth more than all of the gold in the world. There were dozens of people all around in the crowd of people who had sat down in the courtroom. There on the witness stand in the middle of the room, with the prosecutor and the lawyer on either side. The judge was far before the witness, in the middle of the room. Stitch and Angel, in their royal clothing, were standing alongside their good friends. They were interrogating somebody who was a known smuggler, part of a supposed ring of smugglers that the cops were cracking down on.

The judge for the mercenary was none other than Sparky. In fact, not only was he a Supreme Judge, but the Chancellor of all experiments, he represented the Experimental American population and had an amazing amount of power. It had taken a while to get the judge position, he'd had to work his way up to the position of Supreme Judge by becoming a lawyer, and guess what? He was quite successful at it, and had rarely lost a case. Not that it mattered to him: what DID matter was that he got so charged defending people in court…and now that charged feeling came every time he slammed his gavel. He was a most beloved tyrant, you might say.

He was currently dressed in a fine, dark blue cloak with a light green tie, and he slammed both his paws down on top of the tall stand, demanding an answer. "TALK!" He shouted. "Who's the head of your organization!" He demanded.

"I'm not telling you anything I haven't already told you, I gave you a bunch of names of people who work in the ring!" The mercenary shouted. "You already made up your mind about me a long time ago, Sparky-boy!"

"You've changed, Gunner…" Sparky said sadly. He meant it too.

"…" Gunner shut his mouth. His dog/kangaroo like face sunk for a moment and genuine regret creeped onto his face.

"Ah-hem." Prosecutor Ace stated, folding his arms. He was dressed in a beautiful golden suit with sharp black shoes. He frowned angrily at Gunner. "We will ask again. Who is the head of your organization?"

"…" Gunner looked into the audience and he saw Daveigh with Grey.

"My client doesn't have to answer the question," Bartimaeus, who was defending Gunner, began. He was young and fresh out of law school, eager to show off his defense skills. He knew that naming names was the only way he could get his client a lighter sentence, but now he was worried. If Gunner told them who the heads of the organization were, well…

The truth was, he was an opportunist, and he had known a good opportunity when he'd heard it. He'd been offered an enormous amount of money to keep his client from blabbing a certain person's name. "He's done more than enough for-"

"_**I think you should answer their question**_." Grey said suddenly, eyes a-blazing.

"Hey, hey, no outbursts from the audience!" Bartimaeus protested, raising and pointing. "According to the Act of-"

Gunner suddenly spoke up, interrupting Bartimaeus, who looked nervously around. "SHUT UP, BARTY! All right, I'll talk. I guess if I don't, it's gonna be the clink for me. I just…we all wanted money, I don't even like drugs, they make me puke if I just SMELL them, all those years of working for the cops did SOMETHING to me. It just…it didn't pay the bills anymore…"

"So?" Sparky asked, folding his arms across his chest. "Who's the head of your organization?"

"…there's more than one. In case one of the others bought the farm or got caught, we set up co-captains of the ring. The first one was Snipe…"

"He is in custody." Ace said.

"The second was Slobber…"

"He…he committed suicide." Ace remarked sadly.

"Third one was Autumn…"

"HER?!" Both sides shouted. The whole court was abuzz.

One particular girl in the crowd stiffened up. -Crap!- She thought angrily.

"Well…the court shall now issue a warrant for her arrest." Sparky announced, holding up his gavel. "Now then, is that all? If it is, then you shall now be sent to prison with a sentence of 15 years, I have to get going to an important meeting with the Oahu Senate."

"Phew." Bartimaeus said. His client hadn't said the one name he'd been praying he wouldn't say.

"Wait…there's one more." Gunner remarked. He took a toothpick from out of his front jacket and picked his teeth. "You…you ain't gonna like who it is though…'specially not you, Sparks."

Suddenly Sparky felt a chill go through him. He hesitated at first…but then his old lawyer habit shot up like lightning through his body. "Who is it?" Sparky asked, pointing dramatically at Gunner with a single digit.

"It's yer daughter, Chancellor Oeoe. Voltrinnia." Gunner said, jabbing his thumb behind him.

Bartimaeus grabbed the sides of his head and slammed it down into the desk. He was SCREWED!

Voltrinnia immediately blanched. She was F—KED! She tried to run, but luckily Grey was fast, he tackled her before she could escape, leaping from his seat.

"Y'all ain't gettin' away that easy!" He told her. "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time!"

Daveigh, bless her young age an near-inability to understand the seriousness of the situation, began snickering madly at the sight of Grey dragging Voltrinnia like she was a big sack of potatoes. Voltrinnia growled angrily at her. "I wish to God that my buddy had gotten his job done right and had killed you when he had the chance!" She shouted in anger.

Grey's eyes went wide at that revelation. Daveigh stopped snickering. The courtroom was abuzz now. He tossed her in front of Sparky, a look of fury on his face. "You godd—ned murderer! How COULD you? She's _ohana_, cousin!" He snarled.

Suddenly his face softened when he saw Sparky's expression…and Belle was sobbing horribly, her cries filling the courtroom. Sparky looked like he had lost everything he'd ever cared about right then and there.

"Sparky, I-I'm…I'm sorry…" He apologized.

"…it's not your fault." Sparky said, looking away. His voice sounded dead.

"Whaddya think of your golden girl NOW, **FATHER DEAREST?**" Voltrinnia mocked, getting up and putting her hands on her hips.

"…you…are NO daughter of mine!" He shouted with fury.

Suddenly VOLTRINNIA was the one who looked like she'd lost her world. In a fit of fury she kicked Grey in the shin, knocking him down as she leapt through the air and knocked her father down from his high stand, slashing him across the face, giving him a lightning-shaped scar on top of his forehead before Bonnie, who had been in the crowd with Clyde, took action. Raising the metallic arm of her partner, she quickly pressed the button that fired a stun pistol, and it struck Voltrinnia in the back. Getting up with Clyde, she lugged Voltrinnia away and off to prison with some help from Grey and a bailiff. Sparky staggered back up, but then immediately sank to his knees, slamming his fists into the ground while Belle sobbed as she ran after the people who were taking her daughter away.

"…I think that court…is adjourned." Ace said. "Let's…let's just leave the chancellor alone…"

Bartimaeus groaned. Voltrinnia would KILL him when she got out…or worse, take back all of the money!

No, "IF" she got out.

If…if was good!

PRESENT…

"Now she was always rambunctious, we all knew that, but to think she'd get in with a smuggling ring and become a head of it…people surprise you like that. And well…Sparky was torn between his duty to his family and his heart, and in the end, Belle couldn't…well, she couldn't see V as her daughter either. So they disowned her and Sparky and Belle just…broke up. Belle ended up with Legion after being his good friend for so long and Sparky just withdrew from everyone. He stopped hearing cases, quit his job as Chancellor and finally…well, he locked himself up in the old lighthouse he used to inhabit. And then…well…you-you don't need to hear anymore."

"Oh…that's an awful story." Rupert said softly.

"Vee's out of prison now, but she's only out because Stitch is giving her one chance, THIS chance. She pulls this off and she's to be pardoned. Of course if she sees Barty-boy she'll probably make him eat his tail…"

"And Ranku?"

Jude took a deep breath. "His father, Sneak, fell in love with a beautiful Japanese woman. Unfortunately his mother abandoned him and her two children and left him to care for them himself. Sneak's no longer with us, sadly…but his children grew strong. Ranku was deeply affected by his mother leaving, since she didn't want to give birth to a baby girl…"

"Oh…that's…that's terrible…" Rupert whispered.

"He grew to be very cold and calculating. He weighs things in his mind to determine what's the most logical choice to make. The only one he shows emotion with much at all is his sister…"

"Who's his sister?" Rupert asked. "What's her name?"

Jude smiled. "Hanako."

SOON…

Jenkins waved goodbye through the window. "I'll be picking you up later!" He said. "…hey-what the?! Get off my plane, snake!" He shouted as Ranku slithered through the window, grabbing him.

"Lord Stitch instructed that we bring you along." He said, coming back out through the window, tucking the shouting little trog under his arm. The Wyrd Sisters all did a simultaneous laugh.

"That's the way the cookie crumbles." Hogan laughed.

"Put me down, put me down!" Jenkins shouted, beating his fists against Ranku's scaled form.

"…very well. Your shouting is irritating me, as are your fisticuffs." He said, promptly letting go. Jenkins fell to the ground, headfirst. He groaned and pulled his head out of the concrete, muttering "I hope you all die" to himself.

The plane had parked in a parking lot by a big warehouse. Just in front of the warehouse was a young woman of Japanese descent with black hair that was tied in two places that gave her the appearance of having two little spiky afros on each side. She had on a red t-shirt, tight white pants and was wearing black shoes. She had on a black necklace that had a special charm around it, a magatama, a spiritual charm.

"Brother!" She called out in a faint Japanese accent, going over to Ranku. She hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you could come."

"…it…is…it is good to see you…" Ranku said. And for the briefest of moments Rupert heard genuine love shine through the white snake's voice. "How close are we to the bar?" He asked a moment after she'd let go, all business all over again.

"Luckily, it's only three blocks away." She said, pointing with one hand. "Now then…for starters, you should all prepare yourselves. Some of you might not have ever been to a Hooters, so I want to warn you…it's not for the faint of heart." She looked right over at Rupert and Jude, figuring them to be the easiest-to-astonish pair.

"I listen to people tell me their worst sins." Jude said. "I believe I will be able to handle some cleavage."

"Just pass me some Kleenex and I'll be fine." Rupert said. He smiled at them. "I mean, how bad could it be?"

HALF AN HOUR LATER…

"…pretty bad." Jude remarked.

"This is my kind 'o place!" Jenkins shouted, stretching his arms with a big grin on his face.

The "Hooters of Honolulu" had naked women painted on the walls in exotic poses as a band played on a large stage over to the eastern end of the restaurant. There were girls dancing around on big poles, shimmying up, down, and all-a-round! They were dancing on top of big fake "cliffs" that had been set up on the walls and were serving drooling, groping, eager-beaver male patrons all over. They all had incredibly big breasts and were only wearing white t-shirts and very, VERY short orange miniskirts. On the white t-shirts were the label "Hooters" with an Owl's eyes making up the "o's" in "Hooters". Quite a few girls were dancing on the tables of patrons, with thick wads of cash bulging in their pockets and in their chests. There was a very long bar with a mahogany wood counter and behind it were more drinks than you could shake a stick at, all in fresh-looking bottles. There was a very large curtain way to the north side of the bar and they could sense there were people behind there…occasionally it fluttered. A long flight of steps led down to a walkway that resembled the catwalk where models strutted their stuff in front of cameras. There were blinking lights of seductive blue and many lamps hanging down. There were pool tables, a couple of arcade machines, and the bathrooms were located right to their right.

"Stay sharp, Rupert!" Daveigh told Rupert through his communicator. "Remember, this is a serious mission!"

"Someone pinch me, I've died and gone to Heaven." Hogan stated.

"…you sure this place isn't Hell?" Jude groaned, rubbing his temples.

**Preview time!**

_"Maybe at one point." Jude admitted. "Now everyone remember the mission. We're on the lookout for anything suspicious." Jude told them._

_They were all sitting at the same table. Jay nodded at Rupert. "I notice you brought some stuff in your vest pocket."_

_"It's just anesthesia medicine." Rupert told him, tapping the pocket. A clink-clink sound resulted from him hitting the bottle. "The other pocket has a needle for me to administer the medicine through." He said. "Why, what have you got…in…your…pocket…" He suddenly noticed there was a distinct, unmistakable bulge to Jay's pocket._

_"Why did you bring that?!" He hissed._

_..._

_Noli manere, manare in memoria…_

_Noli manere, manare in memoria…_

_"Oh, you think that's funny?" Rupert asked, his voice now reaching a frightening, slightly deeper tone. The threesome kept laughing. "You think that's funny?"_

_He pulled the gun and shot the two men on either side of the leader in the legs, then aimed it at the leader's head. "Because **I** don't think that was f—kin' funny!" He shouted._

_..._

__

"She appears to have almost everyone under her spellbinding spell." Jacques remarked from a mirror across from Rupert, who had turned to look away. He saw Jacques and his eyes went wide.

-What are you doing in a bar mirror?!- He asked inside his head.

"Helping you out, dear brother! First of all, you should be more careful of 221's daughter…she tried to kill him."

Rupert paled. -She...did…what?- He whispered.


	18. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Jude reached down to the belt he was wearing and took his rosary beads with cross out, kissing it. "God forgive me, God forgive me…" He begged.

"How bad IS it?" Daveigh asked Rupert.

"A woman has a **snake** running in and out of her shirt and down her skirt and legs. Where did she get a white python?" Rupert asked, mortified.

Ranku slithered over to the python and whispered to it. It nodded a few times, sticking a forked tongue out. Then Ranku slithered back.

"Brazil." He said, coming back over to Rupert.

"You could tell all THAT?!" Rupert asked. "Daveigh, I hope you never have to work at a bar like this. EVER!"

Speaking of Daveigh…some of you might be wondering how the date went. Well, let's travel back to the night before, at around 8:10 when Lonnie was driving Daveigh to the dance.

"My brother Ashton didn't want me to come with you." Daveigh said, brushing her hair back slightly. Lonnie casually raised his right arm, eyes still on the road, as he lowered it down to put it around Daveigh. "He thought you'd tried to put the moves on me."

"Me? Moves?" Lonnie laughed. "How'd you get him to chill out, baby?" He asked, hand almost to her back.

"Oh, I promised I'd bring along this can of mace." She said, going into her purse.

"I see…" Lonnie said, withdrawing the hand quickly.

AT THE DANCE…

_My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like…"it's better than yours" d—n right, it's better than yours, I could teach you, but I'd have to charge!_

_My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like…"it's better than yours" d—n right, it's better than yours, I could teach you, but I'd have to charge!_

_I know you want it! The thing that makes me! What the guys go crazy for! They lose their minds…the way I wind…I think it's time! _

Daveigh looked VERY out of place. She was overdressed and in a sea of bumping and grinding couples. She had tried to do a slow dance earlier with the song "Last Chance for Love", but then while she'd been holding Lonnie, he had held her…in the wrong part.

BANG!

"OW-OW-OW-OW-OWWWW!" Lonnie had shouted, leaping up and down, holding onto his sore foot.

"Hey, jerk! This is a slow dance! Wait five minutes, alright?!" Somebody shouted.

Now Daveigh and Lonnie were sitting by the drink bowls…by the beer.

"What did you do THAT for?! My foot just kinda slipped, that's all!" Lonnie said in an offended tone.

"Oh. My bad." Daveigh said, looking sorry.

"Say…" Lonnie grinned. "Maybe later you can kiss it and make it better…"

Daveigh growled and slammed her foot down on his other foot.

"OWWW! Whatcha do THAT for?!" He howled.

"My foot just kinda slipped. I swear." She mumbled. "This evening is OVER, Lonnie! Take me home!"

Suddenly he grabbed her arm. "What if I don't WANT it to be over?!" He snarled.

TEN MINUTES LATER…

"Let me see if I have this right…a boy has been **_maced_**?" Officer Kiule asked the teen on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, dude's under the table trying to claw his eyes out."

AND SO…

"So Daveigh, how did your date go?" Ashton asked as Daveigh walked into the living room. He was sitting in a chair, reading "Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar"

"Mr. Neanderthal grabbed my butt and my arm!" She said angrily.

Ashton grinned. "Somehow "I Told You So" just doesn't seem to cut it this time." He snickered. "I'm telling you, YOU need to be the one asking. That way you can judge the guys by how they react. Good ones will be surprised, they'll be nervous, they'll have that frightened-deer look in their eyes." Ashton said.

"Aw, that's so cute!" Daveigh said. "Alright, I guess I'll give that a try…" She yawned. "But I gotta hit the sack…"

Eclipse looked at the two through the window. He thought for a moment about trying something right then and there, but…

"…not now. She's had an awful night. I'll let her get some rest." He said, jumping up into the air and taking off through the night sky as his mighty wings seemed to eclipse the moon's light.

PRESENT…

"Too bad Legion could not come…"

"I know he'd get these ladies done…"

"He'd do and do and do!" The Wyrd Sisters said, one after another.

"Maybe at one point." Jude admitted. "Now everyone remember the mission. We're on the lookout for anything suspicious." Jude told them.

"Be extra careful, nobody kill nobody." Hogan added. "Cuz dead means dead."

Rupert began to snicker madly. They all looked at him. "What?!" Hogan asked.

"_**Does it**_?" Rupert asked, snickering.

Soon they were all sitting at the same table. Jay nodded at Rupert. "I notice you brought some stuff in your vest pocket."

"It's just anesthesia medicine." Rupert told him, tapping the pocket. A clink-clink sound resulted from him hitting the bottle. "The other pocket has a needle for me to administer the medicine through." He said. "Why, what have you got…in…your…pocket…" He suddenly noticed there was a distinct, unmistakable bulge to Jay's pocket.

"Why did you bring that?!" He hissed.

"Because sometimes you just need to spook a monkey instead of eating it." Jenkins said.

"These people are not monkeys." Rupert groaned.

Ranku looked across the table at a man who had a dancing woman on top of his table. He had slid underneath her and was looking up her skirt, a wad of cash in his mouth. Meanwhile, another man had noticed the python from before and was looking right into its eyes. The python tasted the air with its tongue, and the man frowned. He was obviously insulted. He stuck his tongue out at the python, tit-for-tat.

Now the python didn't like this. He promptly whacked the man across the face with his tail. He went spiraling back, crashing into another table, and a bottle of beer broke over his head, pouring the contents all over him.

"…your witness…" Voltrinnia said, and a faint smile passed over her face. Rupert suddenly felt she was looking right THROUGH him, not AT him…

"Please stop staring at me like that." He requested.

"Why?" She asked, annoyed.

"You are creepingly creepy."

"And you're an albino hamster who formerly suffered from delusional psychosis." Voltrinnia shot back.

"Well I had a family that filled my head with chants of how there should be no other game but evil, I lost my brother right in front of me, both of us were picked upon mercilessly over and over and my girlfriend was EATEN. What's your excuse? Seriously, hit me with your best shot."

That shut her up. Rupert smiled inwardly. Score so far: Nasty little trog: 0, albino hamster rodent: 1.

"Sure told her!" Bartimaeus said through the communicator.

"I heard that!" Voltrinnia snarled. "When I get my hands on you…"

Bartimaeus yelped and Rupert could hear him rushing for the closet. Back at the house, he gulped as he sat on the seat. His mind went back to his father, whom he never wrote to enough.

Shoe and Gigi had only had one child…him, and that had been quite a challenge all the same. Shoe had gotten into politics after helping out a politician who was visiting Hawaii with his golf game, enabling him to get many holes in one. Shoe had accepted a job from the Parliament member, becoming his assistant and sending money, gifts and lots and lots of love to his family back home. He had become quite an ass-kisser and had been willing to do the most debilitating jobs in order to rise in the ranks…and rise he had! Now he was head of International Experimental American Cooperation, a subset of the United Nations that was dedicated to promoting peace between his kind and humans. At first he hadn't been taken seriously, but once humans realized that the "trogs" could actually level with alien species in a way many humans couldn't, they'd been amazed. He had talked many an alien race out of invading Earth…his good luck powers had helped quite a bit.

Barty had incredible luck half the time and terrible luck the other half. He had tried to figure out a way to get rid of the good luck, but turning his horns up did nothing but make him look a bit nicer. His mother had believed the strange notion that it was a matter of karma: the more good he did, the more good would come back to him. Naturally he laughed this off.

When his mother had died he hadn't laughed. And Shoe had tried to talk to him, but he didn't want to talk back. What could he say? "Thanks for FINALLY coming home dad, just in time to lay mummy in the ground!?" His dad travelled all around the world but couldn't come back home except for something like a funeral?...

Some dad…

Sparky, now HE had been a dad. In fact, Sparky had been the one who had given Barty his first job. That firm handshake that sent his hair standing on end, it had been a little private joke between the two, and now…

Suddenly Bartimaeus found himself crying a little. He wheezed and blew his nose on some Kleenex. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair. Why was he always being picked on? Voltrinnia would kill him for sure if the mission went well, but if it DIDN'T go well, he wouldn't get paid…and he wasn't sure which was worse: not getting paid the handsome amount he had been promised or having to escape the island to avoid Voltrinnia.

Things were so much simpler back when he was just a kid who only stole the answers to tests to pay for nice things he wanted. What had happened to that kid?…What had happened to Sparky? Why couldn't things be simple?...

…

…

…

…A man suddenly sat down next to the party at the Hooters, wearing bad cologne and a biker jacket. "Hey, you remind me of my pet hamster! My new pet hamster, not my old pet hamster. **That** little dude got stuck up my butt and just wouldn't come out, y' know?"

"…no…I wouldn't…" Rupert groaned. –**Oh God Help Me!**-

"Sorry if some of the guys 'round here are giving yeh the stink eye, but really, it's all good. Any trog's welcome here! I'm a regular myself!" He laughed and held up a bottle of hard Scotch. "Drink?"

"…uh, no." Rupert said.

"Suit yourself." The man said, pouring some into his mouth. "Ahhh! That's the s—t. Now then, lemme guess…ya came to see the girls? Which one's your favorite?"

Rupert, in desperation, pointed to the nearest one. She was an Asian girl who had platinum-blond hair and purple lips. She was wearing tattoos all over her body.

"Guess what she's got written on her butt?" The biker asked. "I know."

"Rupert, what's that guy with you saying?" Daveigh asked.

"Uh…um…er…I…"

"We need to use the Rest Room!" All of the Wyrd Sisters said, getting up and leaving.

"Me too!" Hanako agreed, following them.

"I've got to wash my hands." Jude said, walking off.

"I am going to the bar." Ranku stated.

"I'm gonna play me some pool." Vee told them all.

"Those guys over there look nice." Pele and Hiaka spoke.

"Boy, I gotta take a crap." Hogan complained, standing up.

"Jenkins, help!" Rupert squeaked, desperate. He turned around. "Jenkins-Sie haben zu Scherz!" (You have got to be joking)

He groaned as the biker hung his head back and let out loud belches. Jenkins had gone over to the bar.

"Give me a scotch, single malt, speyside…and I want it on the rocks." Jenkins ordered.

"Ah. A man with taste. Wait…what's your age and your name?" The bartender asked.

"I'm 28…and I am Mclovin'." Jay said, grinning.

The bartender had a large scar in the middle of his chest, and was only wearing a black vest with dark pants and big shoes. His blond hair fell down around his face. "Okay, Mclovin'…I gotta tell ya kid, I don't usually get a call for that mix of drink." He said, pulling out a bottle and pouring the scotch into a glass. When he'd finished making Jenkins his drink, he held it up. "Here ya go." He said.

"Mclovin'" took a large slurp of it. "**WOO**. D—n, that s—t is good!" He exclaimed.

Rupert, luckily, had noticed that Jenkins had allowed his gun to slip out of his jacket. So he carefully reached down and across the room with his tail and slid the gun into his vest pocket. Nobody saw. The biker, meanwhile, had finished the burping sessions and now slapped Rupert on the back.

"You come here often, dude?" He asked.

"No, I'm…I'm just here because some…some people have been missing, and I'm looking for them. They were last seen here…" Rupert told him nervously.

"Oh, that's odd." The biker said, shrugging nonchalantly. "I ain't seen nobody vanish from here…ah, but whadda I know? I probably was wasted when they got kidnapped"! He laughed. "Sure you don't want a drink?"

"I'm sure, really." Rupert said. "I am surely sure with absolute sureness."

"Suit yourself. Your friend over there looks like he's got his s—t together though." The biker stood up and walked over to "Jay". "Hey, make some room! Bartender, gimme what he's having!"

Vee, meanwhile, was about to take her shot. "Eight ball. Corner pocket."

KA-CLACK!

The eight ball whizzed over the green felt of the pool table and went straight into the corner pocket. She turned to the tough but defeated-looking trucker behind her, holding up one clawed paw. "Cash or check?" She asked, a slight laugh in her voice.

The trucker struck her across the face. She held her cheek, looking furious. "Why you…" She growled.

"You cheated, didn'tcha?" He demanded to know.

"Hey, Bubba, that ain't no way to treat a lady." A friend of his said. He adjusted his hunting cap and then cheekily added "Unless she burns the toast!" This got them to both laugh. Vee growled, snapping the pool stick and going over to another table away from these idiots.

"Rupert, are you alright?" Daveigh asked through the communicator.

"…not really!" He muttered.

Rupert was getting annoyed. The others had off and abandoned him, he didn't like the scenery or the women all around, and he was getting a bloody friggin' nose from staring at them! He dabbed at his nostrils with a napkin and groaned. The whole place stunk to high heaven, it was rank. The smell of vomit, blood and various alcoholic beverages mixed together.

Then it happened. Somebody smacked him in the back.

He turned around and came face to face with three different, nasty-looking men. The leader had a five o'clock shadow and a lumberjack shirt.

"Yer kind don't belong here, rabbit." He mumbled. He had whiskey on his breath.

Rupert had not been happy before. Now he was getting angry…but it was worse than that. This human was making insults about his "kind", like he was inferior…

"What, I'm not good enough to sit at a table?! Why are you being so annoyingly annoying?!" He asked in an irritated tone.

"Guys like yoo…guys like yoo took mah JOHB!" One of the men mumbled, pointing at Rupert, who rolled his eyes. He had obviously been drinking far too much.

"Weird accent. Must be a foreigner. Get outta here, ya frickin' foreign troglodyte, " The leader growled. "Before we skin ya like the rabbit ya are."

Now Rupert was getting mad. He could hear the blood rushing to his ears, drowning out Daveigh's sage advice. He didn't notice it, but his fellow task force members were taking notice: Jude, Hogan and the girls had left the bathroom, Ranku and Jenkins had turned around from the bar and Voltrinnia had stopped playing pool. They were looking at Rupert, most with concern on their faces.

"Go away." Rupert said softly, dangerously, turning back to face the table and dabbing at his bloody nose again.

Then the leader grabbed a nearby bottle of rum off of a serving girl's platter and held it, top down, over Rupert's head. The little albino felt it pour all over him, soaking him.

The bar patrons and waitresses had noticed this. They began laughing. The three men guffawed at what they'd done.

_**Hate…**_

It happened. Suddenly a pitch-black aura rose up around Rupert, shooting up into the air for a moment before vanishing. His eyes turned a pale yellow as his fur became light blue and his vest became black and Latin chants pulsed into his ears.

_Noli manere, manare in memoria…_

_Noli manere, manare in memoria…_

"Oh, you think that's funny?" Rupert asked, his voice now reaching a frightening, slightly deeper tone. The threesome kept laughing. "You think that's funny?"

He pulled the gun and shot the two men on either side of the leader in the legs, then aimed it at the leader's head. "Because **I** don't think that was f—kin' funny!" He shouted.

People had stopped stark still. He had a freaking GUN! Jenkins swore under his breath.

"Do you think that was **f—kin'** funny?!" Rupert snarled in the man's face.

"…no…" He squeaked out.

"GOOD. Because it WASN'T F—KING FUNNY. Now get the F—K outta here!" He shouted, motioning with the gun for them to leave. The threesome hobbled out of the door, frightened out of their minds. Rupert spat on the ground, then shoved the gun back into his vest pocket. His fur returned to normal, as well as his eyes. The others went back over to the table and sat down at their seats. Rupert rubbed his head.

"Oh…what did I just DO?!" He asked.

"You went action hero on their asses!" Jay exclaimed. "It was f—kin' awesome!" He shouted.

"I gotta admit man, that was pretty frickin' cool!" Ashton said through Rupert's communicator.

"What did I miss?" Bartimaeus asked, emerging from the bathroom. "Oh well, if it's important, I'll find out. Now listen up good. It's 10:30. That's when the performances begin according to the schedule we printed out." He told the albino.

The bartender took hold of a microphone behind the bar and cleared his throat for all to hear.

"Now for the moment you've all been waiting for!" He called out.

"Oop, it's starting!" Bartimaeus whispered.

"The sexy beast you've all been waiting for! The one…the only… Santanico!" The bartender told them all.

The curtain was sent aside, revealing none other than Esmeralda herself. She was wearing absolutely NOTHING, and showing off absolutely EVERYTHING that was a part of her incredible body, as her eyes glinted seductively in the dimmed light. She walked slowly down the steps, across the catwalk, as the band began to play a sweet tune that creeped into all of their minds.

_Watch-ing her.  
Strolling in the night…  
So white!  
Wondering whyyyy…  
It's only After Dark!_

_In…her eyes,  
A distant fire light…  
burns bright!  
Wondering whyyyyy  
It's only After Dark!_

_I find myself…in her room…  
Feel the fever…of my doom!  
Falling, falling,  
Through the floor…  
I'm knocking on the Devil's door, yeaaah!_

_In the Dawn…  
I wake up to find  
her gone…  
And a note says…  
Only After Dark!_

She walked down the catwalk and every motion of her body seemed to be as smooth and sleek as satin. She stroked her body seductively, twirling slowly as she reached the end of the catwalk. She came to a stop in front of our little task force's table, slowly lowering her body down and grinning from ear to ear.

_Burning, burning  
in the flame…  
Now I know her  
secret name!  
You can tear her temple down…  
But she'll be back,  
and rule again, yeaaah!_

_In my heart…  
A deep and dark  
and lonely part…  
Wants her and  
waits for…After Dark!_

She blew a kiss towards them all, then turned toward Rupert, brushing her hand down his cheek, a catlike grin on her face. She then rose up, her body undulating back and forth ash the music continued to play. Without any clothes on, and with her hair flowing like a beautiful white river, she was really very, very attractive in an enchantingly frightening sort of way…most of the men couldn't look away.

"If she gets near, try and take her bra!" Bartimaeus whispered.

"…uh…right…"

"She appears to have almost everyone under her spellbinding spell." Jacques remarked from a mirror across from Rupert, who had turned to look away. He saw Jacques and his eyes went wide.

-What are you doing in a bar mirror?!- He asked inside his head.

"Helping you out, dear brother! First of all, you should be more careful of 221's daughter…she tried to kill him."

Rupert paled. -She...did…what?- He whispered.

"She tried to murder him. It took a while, but she got the courage and...well, that was all he wrote. That's how she ended up in such a dire predicament, you didn't think it was only because of smuggling, did you?" Jacques asked, raising an eyebrow.

"..." Rupert was silent. He was unsure of what to say. To be honest, he had sort of liked 221, he had designed the antennae especially for-

"Now listen closely: Santanico over there is NOT just an ordinary experiment. She never really was, and she certainly isn't now. First thing you should be aware of, is she's dangerous. Secondly…as long as blood doesn't spill, then you won't need to worry about her. Thirdly: You need to stab her in the heart with something made of argentum, understand?" Jacques told him.

-Argentum?-

Jacques slapped his forehead with his palm. "Oh, silly me! What a silly person I am! I forgot, it has a different name here: silver."

-Silver?-

"Yes. I imagine that-oh dear…oh dear! Quick, you've got to act fast!" Jacques shouted, pointing with one paw. "She's got the bloodlust in her!"

Esmeralda had noticed a middle-aged, fat-necked man was sitting in a chair right across from where she was. He'd gotten into a scuffle with one of the patrons and there was some blood on his neck. She leisurely stepped out onto his table and knelt down on one knee, holding one cheek with one of her hands and stroking his hair with the other. She got up close to him, and he was obviously under the spell of her strangely hypnotic eyes. She gave him a full kiss on the lips, then suddenly gave a nasty grin and bared her fangs, digging into his neck. He let out a scream as she began to chew through. Naturally, our protagonists leapt up, horrified.

"Jesus CHRIST!" Jude shouted. "Somebody stop her!"

Voltrinnia drew her pistol and shot at Esmeralda, who hissed and jumped away…holding onto the man's severed head. It was then that the bartender suddenly grinned and revealed what they hadn't seen before…fangs…

"Oh F—K!" Jenkins shouted.

"Was auf der Erde?" Rupert hollered in surprise. (What on Earth?)

"Dinnertiiiime!" One of the Hooters girls sang out, jumping on a patron and baring her own fangs.

**Sneak Preview!**

"_It's always on!" She laughed sadly. "I can't turn it off!"_

_Rupert saw his chance and leapt up in the air, on top of the knife. He drew his gun and shot the bartender in between the eyes. The bartender howled and stepped back, then looked up…_

_Just in time for Rupert to toss the knife at him. It hit his chest, piercing his heart, and he went down._

"_Can't believe __you__ killed someone." Vee stated._

…

_Rupert punched the air. "You go, girls!"_

_Suddenly he was kicked across the room into a table. The white python from before slithered off, hiding behind the bar. A tough-looking bouncer walked over, grinning and showing off his fangs. He stomped on Rupert's chest, making him scream in pain._

"_Know what everyone says about me?" He asked, a cruel look upon his face. "I __**BITE**__."_

…

"_She's like a little sister to me." Hogan said. "I met her in the joint 10 years back, and…well…"_

"_She murdered her own father, didn't she?!" Rupert shouted. "What did she do to him!?"_

_They were all quiet._

"_I want…to know…what she did…" Rupert said slowly._


	19. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

It was a feeding frenzy. Everyone was pushed and shoved about as people scrambled for the exit, which was locked and guarded by tough-looking bouncers who had thick skin, thick eyebrows, thick muscles and thicker fangs than any of the girls. The Wyrd Sisters had been pinned by a table and Santanico had tossed the head up into the air, gulping it down on the spot. She noticed they were pinned and that a few of her "girlfriends" were coming over to the Wyrd Sisters, so she leapt through the air over to the frightened black experiments and grinned in their faces. A bloody eyeball hung by a strand from her teeth.

"Nothing like a bit of girl on girl!" She laughed.

"What's going on?!" Bartimaeus shouted.

"They're VAMPIRES!" Rupert shouted right back.

"Y-you're joking, right?" Bartimaeus asked.

All three vampires were suddenly flattened by a ceiling rafter and squished. Santanico turned around and snarled at Hanako, who lowered her plasma pistol, then held it up at the traitorous experiment. "So, "Nothing like a bit of girl on girl"? You're right about THAT!" She snarled. "Hands up, b--h!" She shouted.

"I don't think so." Santanico laughed, jumping through the air in a backflip.

Meanwhile, Hogan had slammed his hands together and they were now encased in shining metal…silver. He had obviously seen this sort of thing in movies. One leapt at him and he shoved his hand into her mouth. Her eyes went wide, she couldn't chow down on his hand.

"Suck on THIS." He snarled, clenching it into a fist. Spikes shout out from his hand and it turned into a quilled ball, impaling her head a dozen times over. He unclenched it, and then slid the woman off his stomach. The dead monster fell to the floor.

Jenkins had grabbed a bunch of attacking waitresses by the legs and was twirling them around. He finally threw them through the air. Seeing an opportunity, Ranku quickly raised lifted a pool table up and positioned it carefully. THUCKA-THUCK! The two waitresses were impaled by the pool table legs. He nodded, then turned to an attacking bouncer, grabbing him by the throat.

Hanako looked away as her brother commenced with his own feeding frenzy, eating them alive. Naturally though, he made sure to rip their hearts and heads to shreds first so they couldn't hurt him from inside his stomach. It was NOT a pleasant sight, blood was flowing all around. The band were apparently monsters too, and they'd switched their normal instruments for human body parts. The guitarists were using actual human torsos…with the heads still attached.

Voltrinnia was going insane. She was shooting left and right, laughing madly. "Come on!" She shouted. "Let's see if one of you f—ks can kill me!"

"What is your PROBLEM!?" Rupert shouted, diving underneath her and hiding behind her leg.

"Every single friend I ever had died because of hunters that came to the island during an "expedition"!" She yelled out. "They thought I was an easy target because I was 9, but their bullets couldn't pierce me, though…nothing can get to me but a hands-on killer!"

Intent on testing this theory out, the bartender threw a knife at her. It suddenly stopped in midair, lightning crackling around it as a semi-invisible barrier was revealed to be circling Voltrinnia.

"It's always on!" She laughed sadly. "I can't turn it off!"

Rupert saw his chance and leapt up in the air, on top of the knife. He drew his gun and shot the bartender in between the eyes. The bartender howled and stepped back, then looked up…

Just in time for Rupert to toss the knife at him. It hit his chest, piercing his heart, and he went down.

"Can't believe you killed someone." Vee stated.

"Rule number 6 of the "When It's Alright To Kill" seminar I went to…"The Undead do not count!" He shouted. "Why did you try and have Daveigh killed?" He growled angrily.

"…that…was a mistake." Voltrinnia admitted softly. "She got access to our base while she was out wandering around town, stumbled on it by accident while we were out. We saw her look around, saw her take one of the cocoons, saw her leave just before we could go in. So I panicked and ordered one of my goons to kill her before she brought the cocoon to her parents…he missed when he shot at her, killed Shrink instead-"

"You-you got Shrink killed?" Rupert snarled. That filled him with anger, Shrink had been the very first experiment they had ever made. "Why I should-"

Voltrinnia ducked just in time as a blond-haired b--h dove at her and Rupert. Luckily Jude suddenly grabbed the vampire by her hair and then drove a knife through her chest.

"Good thing they've got these big, thick steak knives!" He hollered at them.

"You b--h, you b--h, you b--h!" Jay shouted, stabbing a large table leg into a waitresses' chest over and over again.

"_**MCLOVIN'**_, you're overdoing it!" Rupert shouted.

Jay looked down at his handiwork. "…oh. Sorry."

Rupert glared at Vee. "Stitch may be able to pardon you, but don't think anyone else will…" He muttered angrily.

"I'm AWARE of that!" She shouted angrily. "Just shut up and keep your eyes peeled for more bloodsuckers!"

Suddenly she heard hungry moaning to the left and saw the annoying face-slapper from before, with his friend's HEAD in his hands. He tossed the head aside and lunged at her…

She lifted up her gun and struck him so hard across the head it went right through, partially decapitating. She then kicked the chunks away. "Next time you hit a woman, remember that WE HIT BACK!" She snarled.

"Time for you to feel the heat!" Pele hollered, raising her clawed hands into the air and shaking her body, calling out in the Hawaiian language. "Hāʻenaaaa!"

Flames rose around her, sloughing off her body and shooting up into the air from her hands. They snaked around her in whispery trails and then plunged straight down the throats of some attackers, who exploded, burnt from within.

Hiaka, meanwhile, slammed her hands together and a large current of water rose up the pipe systems, bursting through the walls and sending some angry-looking waitresses flying straight towards the wall. She then flexed her claws as if moving a puppet, and the thick current split up, turning into a many-armed blob that grabbed knives and stabbed the waitresses in the chest.

Rupert punched the air. "You go, girls!"

Suddenly he was kicked across the room into a table. The white python from before slithered off, hiding behind the bar. A tough-looking bouncer walked over, grinning and showing off his fangs. He stomped on Rupert's chest, making him scream in pain.

"Know what everyone says about me?" He asked, a cruel look upon his face. "I **BITE**."

He bared his fangs. Suddenly somebody tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around…

THUNKA! Voltrinnia had stuck a shotgun into his mouth.

"Know what everyone says about ME? I **BLOW**." She growled, and pulled the trigger.

BAM! He was missing most of his head. He promptly fell down, but was amazingly still alive…sort of…

"Gill! Gill ooo!" The half-severed head groaned.

Voltrinnia took aim again and blasted his chest open, getting his heart. This time he was dead.

"You're off the f—kin' chain!" Jay laughed at Vee as he bounced through the air, landing on a table and picking up some knives.

Suddenly there came a cry. One of the Wyrd Sisters had been bitten. She screamed for help as her two sisters rushed forward, slicing the attacker in half with a scythe of darkness.

"Skulla!" The first sister sobbed. "No! Nooo!"

"You can't go!" The second one said.

"…kill…me…" The third begged. "Before I…turn…"

Ranku slithered over, raising a long claw. "I will grant you this favor." He said.

"NO!" The first sister shouted, shoving him back. "She's our sister!"

"Not a monster!"

"She won't be your sister in few moments." He said calmly. "Please…she wants death." He told them softly.

They looked back at their sister, who was growling through her tears. Finally they turned away and nodded.

"Do it…"

"Quickly, please…"

Ranku nodded. He drove his claw through Skulla's chest and she died in an instant, eyes closing.

"Ura, hold me…" The second sister sobbed.

"Only if you will, Vera…" The first sobbed.

Ranku looked at them with an expression of brief pity. Then he gasped as a bunch of vampires swarmed over the two sisters who were locked in grief. He immediately, fast as he could, shot his coils out and grabbed the vampires, flinging them away and into the wall…

Too late…the sisters had had their throats quickly ripped out and in their last moments they'd chosen suicide, impaling each other's hearts with their claws to keep from becoming monsters. They were dead.

"VERDAMMT BLUT TRINKERS!" Screaming with hatred, Rupert soared into the air, his fur once more a pale blue, his feet now taloned as he tore through the throats of those that had just killed the two mourning Wyrd Sisters. He looked to his left and saw Voltrinnia was being swarmed and he gasped as Hogan knocked them away…too late, she was apparently dead as well, blood streaming down her neck.

Santanico was suddenly up in Jude's face, blood dribbling down her chin and a few golden locks of hair from Vee in her mouth which she spat out . The choir boy gasped and crawled back as she advanced.

"You know what everyone says about me?" She asked, then grinned. "**I SUCK.**"

She leapt at him, but he suddenly kicked her square in the privates. She gasped and fell to the ground, groaning in immense pain. "Ooh, you little **b--h**!" She howled.

Ranku rolled his eyes as a few vampires advanced, eager to taste him, thinking they could sneak up from behind. He calmly held one claw up and focused, and some small balls of ice popped up on his claw-tip. He flicked them behind his body and they flew into the vampire's mouths. They immediately stopped, looking confused as he turned around.

"Was that supposed to hurt us or something?" One of them asked, sneering.

"Actually, it will in about…two seconds." Ranku stated, folding his arms across his chest and tilting his head slightly.

The vampires barely had time to scream as large chunks of ice burst out from their insides, making them look like human porcupines. Their bodies began to melt in a disgusting blend of blood, flesh and ice before the remains burst into flames. Ranku stuck his tongue out, his forked redness tasting the air and smelling what had just occurred.

"…unpleasant." He remarked.

"WE'VE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!" Jay shouted. "COME ON!"

He motioned for them all to run to the kitchen and they all bolted, running inside and pushing the double doors open. They then blocked the path with the refrigerator and the freezer while Hogan slammed his fists into the ground, causing a metallic wall to rise up in case the vampires got rid of the fridge and freezer.

Rupert held the gun in his paw up. He was back to normal, but was spooked out of his brilliant mind. He addressed everyone in the kitchen, which included the remaining members of the party, the biker from before, and about five other humans.

"Okay, now I think that what we are dealing with…is f—king vampires. Now I don't BELIEVE in f—king vampires, but I THINK that we can all AGREE…that what we just SAW…were f—king VAMPIRES! _**Can we all agree that they were f—king vampires?!**_" Rupert shouted, obvious stress in his voice.

"They were f—king vampires." Jay agreed.

"MOTHERF—KING vampires." Hogan muttered. Everyone else nodded.

Daveigh's communication came in. "Okay, from what I just heard, you're saying that the Hooters was filled with vampires."

"Absolutely!" Rupert agreed.

"Well for starters, you need to check people's NECKS." She told Rupert.

"Okay task force members, none of you were bit, right?" He asked.

They shook their heads.

"Vee was…" Hogan said suddenly, sadly.

"Why do you care so much about that murdering murderer?" Rupert asked.

"She's like a little sister to me." Hogan said. "I met her in the joint 10 years back, and…well…"

"She murdered her own father, didn't she?!" Rupert shouted. "What did she do to him!?"

They were all quiet.

"I want…to know…what she did…" Rupert said slowly.

…

…

…

… it was the year 2065, and the years had not been kind to Sparky. He had shut himself up inside of the lighthouse and his antennae hung limply down, coiling on the ground. His blue eyes blinked slowly as he picked at the tattered remnants of the once-stylish suit he had formerly worn. His fancy waistcoat had tatters in it, and his favorite bowler hat had long been eaten up by moths. He took a long sip from a bottle of beer and then broke it in a single paw, crushing the pieces and grinding them up into nothing. Finally he let the filtered remains flow down onto the floor below and he sighed.

His existence was very, very lonely. He had refused to meet with anybody or anyone. He had even chased people away. Well…everyone except a special few. Luckily, one of those special few was approaching now…Angel.

Sparky had had a…complicated relationship with Angel. He'd been good friends with her rival, 123, Carmen, and it pained him far, far too much to look at Carmen in the eyes. After all, at one point they had been lovers…

Looking at Angel was hard now. Occasionally he would imagine a tutti-frutti hat on her head, and he would mistakenly believe that it was Carmen coming to see him, not Angel. That scared him. Perhaps he was going insane.

"…Sparky?" Angel called out softly to the top of the lighthouse.

Sparky's voice, once buzzing, was now low and throbbing. "What?" He called out.

"We should talk. It's about your dau-"

"I. Don't. Have. A. Daughter." He growled.

"…Voltrinnia has been released from prison. She wanted to see you, she kept asking to see you for weeks before she was finally released…"

"She's not my problem." Sparky said coldly, crossing his arms.

Angel growled angrily. "Stitch and I forgave her. Belle forgave her. Daveigh forgave her. Why can't you?!" She shouted, walking off. "HONESTLY…"

Sparky bit his lip. He couldn't forgive her, he…he just couldn't. Not after what she had done.

He was lot in his thoughts for quite a while. And so, because he was thinking it over…he didn't hear the form that slowly made its way up the lighthouse, to the window.

"Oh _daddy_…" A familiar voice crooned.

Sparky looked up. His eyes narrowed. He didn't say a word.

"I waited for you for a long…long time…" Voltrinnia hissed, stepping into the lighthouse. The gun in her hand glinted in the pale moonlight. "I waited for years…for something…something from you. Mother forgave me eventually, she visited…but you didn't. You…abandoned me…"

"You are no daughter of mine." Sparky said coldly.

"You couldn't forgive me for what I did? Well-well I can't forgive you for what you've done…" Voltrinnia said, her voice getting louder and more buzzing. "So...SO…SO!!"

…

…

…

…and that was the story, Hogan explained. That was what happened. After throwing the body into the sea and proudly admitting to a horrified bar crowd what she had done, Vee had been thrown into prison not once, but twice, and THAT was why she was in such desperate need of a pardon. What had happened after was Barty, of all people, had prosecuted Voltrinnia and had gotten her thrown in jail as revenge for what had happened to Sparky, another reason she would want to kill him. He had been against giving her a pardon and had tried to get violent, and no amount of payment would get him to shut up. Finally he'd just quit his job as a lawyer and had taken up a position in undercover law enforcement instead, a position that kept him away from Stitch and Angel three-fourths of the time…

Rupert was quiet for quite some time before he spoke. And then, before he could speak up…

"Okay anybody who's NOT furry, did you get bitten?!" Hanako asked.

They humans looked at each other's necks.

"It appears that nobody else was bit." Ranku said, swarming around them all and gazing at each of their necks. "Though I do not feel good about our chances for survival if we stay here…"

"We're DEAD if we stay here." Rupert said. "Now does anybody have any crosses?" He asked.

Jude grinned and reached into his pouch. "I got PLENTY." He said, pulling out his rosaries and several crosses on chains. "And besides, we can make our own crosses."

Rupert pointed at the back. "Hogan, you're a metal master, make us some cross-shaped weapons."

Hogan nodded, going over to the kitchen's silverware drawers.

"Pele, Hiaka, we're going to need you to watch the doors. Everyone else get close, I've got to contact Daveigh and Ashton to think up a plan. It's been a while since I saw that seminar on the undead…YEARS. Daveigh's the monster movie expert, she'll have the answers."

"I can't believe Esmeralda's a vampire." Jude stated.

"We need to deal with Esmeralda…I mean Santanico." Rupert admitted. He sighed. "I think I know why she's been mutated." He told them, rubbing his chin.

"Mutated? Ain't she just a vampire?" Jay asked.

"No, it is not that simple. From what I DO remember from the creepingly creepy seminar I went to back in E.G.O, only humanoids can be vampires. Santanico is not humanoid. What she's done to herself is different, she has introduced vampire blood into her DNA…quite possibly, she pumped it into her bloodstream quite a long time ago, exactly when I'm not sure…the point is this: now she's got similar powers to vampires…and all of the cravings…and if she or one of the other vampires bit you, you'd get the same cravings!"

He shuddered. "She was already quite wild, I could tell…introducing vampire blood to her made her into a diabolical beast of pandemonium!"

"She's almost as bad as Samael." Jude whispered.

Everyone turned to look at Jude.

"Who is this Samael?" Rupert asked. The name somehow chilled him to the very bone.

"It's this urban legend…" Hanako said. "Supposedly Samael was the end result of a collaboration of scientists who were trying to create an experiment that could be a match for hundreds of Leroy clones. They made him several years before the Second Invasion, he was supposed to be the most powerful experiment ever made, but apparently moments after activation he turned on his creators and made some of them kill each other while he paralyzed the others…from what the rumors are, he was telepathic and telekinetic…"

"I heard that he made them eat each other's left eye but kept the right eye in so they could watch what they were doing…" Hogan whispered.

"I heard that he tried to rape the female doctors…" Jude said softly, quivering in fear. "And a couple of the male ones too, just to break their spirits…"

"I have heard he devoured one of them alive right before them." Ranku hissed. "And savored the screams."

"I heard he was created from the blueprint that some unknown donor gave them and THAT's the reason why he ended up evil." Pele said.

Hiaka nodded. "And then he vanished just as soon as he appeared… but he's not real, he's a legend…"

"Yeah, it's just a story." Jay said. "All of the doctors that survived said that they'd never made any experiment named Samael...the only reason anyone knows the story is some diary that somebody found that told the story, and it wasn't written in any of the doctor's handwritings…"

"So he can't possibly be real." Rupert deduced.

"I can't even believe _vampires_ are actually _real_…" Hanako stated.

"Believe your eyes?" Ranku asked.

"…oh I do."

"Then they were vampires." Ranku stated. "We know how to kill them. Unless we can't kill them all, we just need to outlast them for another…"

He looked at the clock. "Seven hours. That's when daylight hits."

"Now listen, here's the plan." Daveigh told Rupert, who told the others what she was saying. "I'm a vampire expert myself, so listen: you experiments can't be turned into vampires, but you'll experience similar cravings if you're bitten…the only difference is you'll be able to control it and reverse the process if you destroy the ones who bit you…so DON'T GET BITTEN!"

"Right." Everyone said.

"Get some crosses…and Jude…bless some bottles of water."

"What?"

"Bless some bottles of water! You're in the clergy, aren't you? Don't you assist Father Michael in the proceedings at church? You're not just a choir boy, you're a man of God!"

"…OHHH, right!" Jude said, rushing over to the sink and leaping onto the counter. He poured through the cabinets and pulled out some large bottles of soda, tossing them to Jenkins and the other experiments.

"Drink it up, we'll need the sugar rush." He told them. He found some empty bottles in the trash and washed them out before filling them up with water, then blessed them after putting the caps back on.

"How are those crosses coming?" Rupert asked Hogan.

Hogan turned around, holding up a bunch of swords and lances with thick black handles. They had ends that were sharped like crosses, and cross designs running up and down the blades and the shafts. "Ready to stake some vampires." He said.

"They're breaking through!" Pele shouted.

There was loud shouting and screaming and hollering coming from behind the freezer, apparently the vampires had gotten rid of the fridge.

"Remember, vampire bodies are WAY softer than normal human bodies. Just don't get too afraid!" Daveigh told them. "And whatever you do, DON'T give up the kitchen!" She added.

"HERE THEY COME!" Hiaka hollered.

Everyone stood their ground. Hiaka and Pele stepped back, forming weapons out of their respective elements as they stood with the group.

The vampires tossed the freezer aside…

"FIRE!" Pele shouted, slinging arrows of flame at the vampires.

"DIE!" Hiaka snarled, tossing sharp blade of water at their heads.

"GET THE F—KERS!" The biker from earlier hollered, raising a huge sword high and swinging it in the air.

"ALRIIIIGHT!" Rupert hollered.

Our protagonists swarmed out and began beating the vampires back. Swords sliced through heads and chests. Spears stabbed hearts clean through. The experiments used their claws and fangs and tore at the vampires who were trying to bite them, and Rupert's fur had turned black with the power of Rage as he punched vampires clear across the room.

Soon things calmed down. It appeared as if everyone was alright. They all looked at each other.

"Anyone get bit?" Hanako called out again.

"No."

"No."

"No-AAAA!" The biker from before jumped back as the guy next to him suddenly rose up from the dead, fangs glowing slightly. The biker shoved him away…and the vampire grabbed another human, pulling him down and burying his fangs in his neck.

"NO!" Rupert shouted.

Jude popped the bottle of holy water open and doused it over the two vampires. "Take THIS!" He shouted. The two of them suddenly began to dissolve into black juice that quickly evaporated into the air.

"Anybody ELSE get bit?" Jay asked.

Hogan whimpered softly. They looked over at him.

"…my arm…" He whimpered.

He held up his arm. There was blood dripping down from it and two bite marks.

"Oops. My bad." A voice called out. They turned to the right and saw two people walking down the stage to the catwalk…Voltrinnia and Santanico.

"VEE?!" Hogan shouted. "Wh-what are you doing!?"

"She works for ME now…" Santanico said.

Voltrinnia giggled in a creepy fashion.

"Nothing like a midnight bite, boys!" Santanico laughed.

"You're DEAD, Esmeralda!" Jay shouted, grabbing one of the spears and throwing it. It simply bounced off of Voltrinnia's electromagnetic shield and embedded in the roof.

"Oh f—k…" He groaned.

Rupert suddenly felt Hogan put his hands on him. "…Rupe…kill me." He whispered.

Rupert turned to look at him as the others rushed at Santanico and Voltrinnia. "Why ME? I-I thought you hated me."

"I don't like you. But d—n it if I don't respect you for what you've done." He said.

Hiaka and Pele weren't doing so well. Santanico had pinned them both beneath her claws and was grinning. She opened her jaws and casually lowered her head…

Hanako had been trying to skewer Vee when she heard horrible crunching noises and turned around to see Santanico in the middle of a meal. "You B--H!" Hanako shouted, rushing over with a cross-sword and slicing at her. Santanico shrieked as it dug into her back, then leapt away. Hanakao gasped…it was too late, both the girls had been chewed on, most of their heads were missing.

"Aw, did I do something BAD?" Santanico asked, putting her hands on her hips and tilting her head in a curious manner.

"Vee's like a little sister to me and…and I don't wanna live in a world where she's…she's that THING." Hogan told Rupert said softly.

Rupert looked up, frightened. "…I can't, I…not even a mercy killing…"

Suddenly the change came over Hogan. He dug into Rupert's shoulder with his hand, showing fangs. "You won't kill me, I'LL KILL YOU." He growled. He tried to bite Rupert in the shoulder…

SCHLOOMP!

Rupert shoved a cross into his mouth. Hogan gasped and screamed in horror, then turned to dust, a look of peace upon his face.

For a brief moment, Voltrinnia's eyes went wide with horror. Then she snarled and kicked Jude away. "Let's go!" She told Santanico. "I don't like the scenery anymore."

They nodded and ran behind the curtain, laughing. Jude ran after them, spear held high. He shoved the curtain aside…

A teleporter was revealed. Jay cursed and threw a knife down. "God D—N it! They're probably miles away by now!"

They looked at the bodies of the various vampires all around.

"Be careful!" Daveigh told Rupert. "The bodies are going to-"

FWOOOOOM!

"Burn up." She finished.

Each of the bodies had burst into flames and they were dissolving into nothingness. Unfortunately not everyone had been a good distance away. One particularly vengeful man had decided to take a whiz on a vampire for trying to bite him earler, and now he had caught on fire. He howled and ran around and around. They tried to grab ahold of him, but he slipped and fell, burning up into ash. The survivors finally sat down in chairs, groaning in pain, stress and tiredness.

"I can't STAND vampires." Rupert groaned. "They're such bloodsucking bloodsuckers with their creepy little eyes and oh-so-weird taste in clothing…"

"Well they're all dead, and we've got…" Jude looked up at a clock that was, amazingly, still hanging from the wall, along with the scared python from before. "5 hours until dawn."

"Wait." Ranku said, pointing at the stage. The band was still there, gaping at what the group had just done, instruments still in hand.

"Time to kill the music." Rupert wisecracked, holding up a sword and leaping out of his seat.

"Hey, you know that old joke?" Jay asked. "The difference between a lounge band and a fourteen inch pizza is that a pizza can FEED a family of four?"

"Yeah." Rupert mumbled. "Hey, I'M a musician in my spare time, JENKINS…"

"Well I think that in this case a lounge band might be able to feed a party of two…" Jay giggled in a crazy, trog-like voice, claws clenching and unclenching. He and Ranku slowly moved towards the band, looks of hunger on their faces.

"Oh S—T!" The band leader shouted. "F—k this, let's get outta here!"

They tried to run for the teleporter, but suddenly Ranku's coils looped around them, pulling them over to him and Jay.

"Dinner is served." He said calmly.

The others looked away. Rupert vomited into a wastebasket. When they'd finished, Ranku and Jay headed over to the others. Ranku calmly wiped his mouth with a napkin while Jay cleaned his mouth by wiping it on his arm.

"**BURP. **So is that everyone?" Jenkins asked. "We got all the vampires except Voltrinnia and Santanico…"

Daveigh spoke up. "You can still save Voltrinnia if you can kill Santanico." She told Rupert, who told the others. "But I'd suggest that everyone get the heck out of here. If the cops find all the other dead bodies around…"

"Good point." Rupert said. "We'd best take our leave before the busy-body police arrive."

One by one they left the bar, all very tired. The biker turned to the task force, smiling. He shook Rupert's hand.

"You're alright, y'know?" He told them. "Anytime yer in town, stop on by to my place, it's just down the street actually. I run a little spa clinic…"

"Spa clinic? I thought you were a biker." Rupert stated.

"Oh, I bike in my spare time. But I mostly just like wearing this because it makes me look tough." The biker said. "Plus the chicks dig it."

"I don't know HOW we're going to explain this to Stitch and Angel…" Jude groaned, rubbing his temples.

"Somehow I have a feeling they'll believe us." Rupert said.

"Yeah…wouldn't be the first time something weird happened after dark…" Jay said softly.

**Preview time!**

_Angel groaned. "You have GOT to find them both and STOP them!" She said._

"_We KNOW, we KNOW!" Jude groaned. "But we don't know where the heck they'd go!"_

"_Well, Voltrinnia should be kind of easy to find, actually." Daveigh said through the communicator. "Anyone who's a vampire can't stand sunlight at all. Now I don't think that an experimental vampire-wannabe will have the same "sunlight kills me" standard, but I don't think she'd want to be out and about. My guess is she's hiding somewhere dark and damp and moist."_

"…_wait…guys…where's Grey?" Stitch asked._

_..._

"_What unspeakable doings have you done to him?!" He demanded in a soft voice._

_Santanico put her hand over her mouth, eyes wide in mock surprise. "Ooh! Did I say that?" She grinned. "Alright, I'll tell you…it can be the gift of despair. I kidnapped him and the foolish little lamb is now locked up in a secret room located right beneath the one place nobody would think to look for him, the one place nobody would expect to find him. He's in there with a woman…and my sweetheart Eclipse sprayed a special compound that triggers intense hunger in experiments. He'll eat her alive." Santanico whispered._

"_Why would you do something like that?" Rupert asked, eyes wide with horror._

_Santanico smirked. "Don't you know? We're interested in BREAKING him, Rupert. If he's broken, he can't be a threat to us killing Daveigh."_

_..._

"_Daveigh, you know where 624's veins are?"_

_She nodded._

"_Sedative, quick." Rupert told her._

_Daveigh held the needle up and carefully slid it into Angel's arm, getting a vein. Angel began to calm down, panting less heavily._

"_All right, now you're going to need to PUSH, alright?" Rupert told her. "No panicking acts of panic! Keep CALM, 624, and you'll work through this!"_


	20. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Grey sat there in the room, biting his lip. A fine mist had been sprayed over them through the air. He was feeling itchy all over, and he was trying to resist scratching himself, but his leg kept going up to his head. Finally he gave in and began scratching like a dog scratches at fleas.

Then a different voice came onto the intercom. Eclipse's voice.

"Hello, Grey." He spoke. "I take it Ms. Hill is asleep?...oop, not anymore."

The woman HAD been asleep. Now she was awake and fearful again.

"That gas that was sprayed on you is a special compound." Eclipse explained. "My former assistant to my assistant Gizmo created it. It's designed to stimulate hunger urges in wild animals…it has a 100 success rate on experiments. You should be feeling itchy…and within, say, the hour…you'll be feeling quite hungry. VERY hungry."

"Cousin, please don't do this…she's innocent…" Grey whimpered.

"It's regrettable to reduce you to this. But it has to be done. You must be broken. Goodbye, Grey." Eclipse said, and the intercom shut off.

"Oh no, oh no…" Grey mumbled as his stomach began to groan.

…

…

…

…the flight back had been uneventful. Nobody had said anything, and Hanako had decided to come with them since it appeared that they might need her to back up their almost unbelievable story.

They had NOT been in the mood to fly back first thing in the morning. Everyone had stayed at Hanako's place and had happily conked out upon hitting the couch, beds or sleeping bags. The cops had arrived at the bar to find a scene of absolute violence and horror, and the daily news was calling it the "Horror at Hooters of Honolulu". The death count had reached over a hundred, not including vampires, naturally. The waitresses, bouncers and administrative officials of the bar were listed as "missing". The strange part was that the police had no idea who was responsible for the slaughter. Hopefully they'd never know.

When our protagonists arrived at the airport and touched down, all of them left the plane in silence…

And after leaving the airport's front gates, they saw Stitch and Angel waiting, arms crossed as they stood in full regal regalia. The two were not happy.

"What happened?" Stitch demanded to know. He had a strange expression on his face, sort of like he'd just rushed out of the shower. "I just got a call from David and Ashton about vampires. What exactly happened at the Hooters?"

"The place was Vampire CITY, that's what!" Jenkins shouted.

"Voltrinnia has been turned into a beast by Esmeralda. Hogan, the Wyrd Sisters, Pele and Hiaka are dead." Ranku told the two monarchs. "Hogan became a beast and Rupert had to take him down. The others were slain by vampires."

"Honest-to-goodness vampires?!" Angel asked.

"Good" nothing, they were bloodsucking, fanged minions of SATAN!" Jude shouted, waving his arms in the air. "And Esmeralda's their leader!"

"Now she's "Santanico"." Rupert added.

"Saint Anna?" Stitch asked, tilting his head slightly.

"SANTANICO." Rupert clarified. "She…well, she devoured quite a few of the bar patrons."

"For the record, I'd like to say that I didn't believe in vampires until today." Jay said. "But after the s--t that just went down, I believe in freaking ANYTHING."

Stitch looked at them. "So Esmeralda is a vampire."

"No, she injected vampire blood into her system, so she's SIMILAR to a vampire." Rupert stated. "She's a wild beast of pandemonium, just like Vee is at the moment."

"Well did you KILL them?" Angel asked.

"They teleported away. There was a teleporting pad hidden in the bar." Hanako told the two.

Angel groaned. "You have GOT to find them both and STOP them!" She said.

"We KNOW, we KNOW!" Jude groaned. "But we don't know where the heck they'd go!"

"Well, Voltrinnia should be kind of easy to find, actually." Daveigh said through the communicator. "Anyone who's a vampire can't stand sunlight at all. Now I don't think that an experimental vampire-wannabe will have the same "sunlight kills me" standard, but I don't think she'd want to be out and about. My guess is she's hiding somewhere dark and damp and moist."

"626…624…everyone, there is something I think I have to say." Rupert said, speaking slightly louder than usual. They all turned to look at him as he held his hands together and twiddled his digits nervously.

"When Jumba, Jacques and I first made the experiments, I…" He turned to the side slightly. "I thought of you as wonderful pets that we ourselves had made, as close as…as close as our children, almost. That's why we named so many of the first batches…and then, then Jacques came to look at them as tools…and I came to look at them as tools as well. And when I became my brother and took on his persona I came to view them in an even worse light, that you were useless unless you were being used, that you were just weapons, living weapons I could do with as I pleased because I paid for you, and I didn't care if you died or even if I killed you…but I began to see more and more that you AREN'T just weapons, or tools or pets…but you're special…and it took longer than it should have taken for me to realize that. So I want to say…I'm sorry."

They all looked at Stitch and Angel. Then the couple looked at each other, smiled, then turned to Rupert.

"We forgive you." They said at the same time. Rupert looked up, blinking in surprise. But before he could say anything…

"…wait…brothers, sisters…where in God's good name is Grey?" Jude asked.

They all looked around. "Where IS Grey?" Rupert asked. "I thought he was going to meet us there…"

They all suddenly realized they had NO idea where Grey was. This was bad.

"What if Santanico already got to him?" Hanako asked them.

"Don't think like that!" Stitch said angrily. "We've lost 6 members of our _ohana_ today and another's been turned into a-a vicious beast of pandemonium! Now we're going to do a straight-out search of the entire island, I'm getting every person I can on this. Rupert, go to the police. File a missing person's report and have them send out search parties. Officer Kiule will understand."

Rupert turned to the others. "Well, first thing's first…Jude, you have got to get going to need to get to the town's reservoir and water supply, see if we can do a preemptive strike!"

Jude bowed.

Stitch nodded. "Hanako, you and your brother take the west side of the island, I'll send Chopsuey, Carmen and Gnash to go with you."

They saluted.

"Alright Jay. You, Bonnie, Clyde and Heartwing to go with you to the eastern side of the island. I'd come along as well, but I'm eating for two." Angel said, pointing at her slightly bulging stomach.

"Got it." Jay said, nodding.

"Rupert, you, Daveigh, Ashton and I are going to the police to get them to participate on this as well. We'll scour the middle of the island while the rest of you do a sweep in from your respective sides. Search every nook and cranny! Stitch instructed to them.

"And put these on." Jude said, giving everyone crosses. "And just in case…"

He gave everyone a couple of water bottles. "These are already blessed. Now let's do this." He said.

"Everyone, move out!" Stitch ordered. "Try and CAPTURE Voltrinnia, but if you see Esmeralda…"

Rupert nodded, raising a cross-spear brought along from the trip and resting it on his shoulder. "Take…her…down."

…

…

…

… Jude stood over the reservoir, raising his hand. "Loving God, bless this water and give us your protection in this dark hour. Amen." He bowed his head, finishing.

Father Michael, who was also assisting, was going to every single river, stream and brook he could find, blessing them.

Ranku and Hanako looked at each other as they saw a series of caves coming up on their right. They stopped the car Hanako had commandeered and Chopsuey, Gnash and Carmen jumped out.

"Everyone got their crosses?" Hanako called out.

They all nodded.

"This is one of the few cave groups on this side of the island that weren't closed in during the invasion." She cocked her gun, it had been loaded with silver bullets that had crosses etched onto them. "Let's do this…" She said, and they entered the caves, one person per cave, communicators in one hand and weapon in the other.

Meanwhile, Rupert, Daveigh, Ashton and Stitch had made a trip to the police station to speak with Officer Kiule. He was actually not surprised to hear that Esmeralda was a vampirish beast. He and his men gathered up a squad of men and were now combing the town area, calling on volunteers to aid in the manhunt. She was a dangerous murderer who had to be taken down.

Meanwhile, Jay, Bonnie, Clyde and Heartwing had found familiar-looking footprints…duck prints…in the sand. Large ones. Voltrinnia had retreated down the beach and into a large cave. Jay fiddled with the cross on his chest while Bonnie and Clyde walked side by side to the front, going into the cave. Clyde held a bat while Bonnie held a shotgun. Heartwing sniffed the air, eyes in slits as he tasted the aura of the things around him.

The cave was damp and dark. Water dripped down from stalactites onto stalagmites below. There was a nasty, dank smell in the air. The ground itself seemed…

"AAA!" Bonnie shouted, screaming. A bunch of rats were running out of the cave. Clyde immediately grabbed her and picked her up, keeping her high up. Heartwing leapt up into the air and his wings flapped as he hovered in there. Jenkins leapt on top of a stalagmite and balanced himself there, careful not to fall off. After they'd all run out, there was snickering heard from the back of the cave.

"I didn't think you'd find me…heh-heh-heh…"

"Vee, just come peacefully, a'right?" Bonnie asked, leaping down from Clyde after kissing his cheek in gratitude, making the big lug blush.

"Don't resist. Please." Heartwing said, slowly advancing through the air. Jenkins gripped the cross and held it forward.

"Come quietly?...naaaah!" Voltrinnia shouted, suddenly leaping into the light, laughing. She had fangs that jutted out from her maw now, and her hair seemed to stand on end. Her eyes had become red and she held a sub-machine gun up.

"The chick is PACKED, the chick is PACKED!" Jenkins shouted, and they dove out of the cave just as Voltrinnia fired off her guns, laughing like a mad woman. Jenkins picked up his communicator. "If there's ANYBODY close by to the Western Beach Cave, get over here! We've found Voltrinnia and she's PACKING!"

A moment later a bullet blew the communicator apart. "Jay" yelped and jumped up, holding his cross forward and making Vee hiss.

"That might keep me away, but Mr.SMG here…it won't keep him and his 800 friends away." Voltrinnia laughed, cocking her gun again.

"That's why Mr. Shotgun here wants to get acquainted with you!" Bonnie hollered, leaping on Clyde's shoulder and firing the gun off. Vee grinned as the bullets bounced off her electromagnetic shield.

"You can't kill me!" She laughed. "But I can kill yooooouuuuu!"

"KOKAMI!" Bonnie shouted.

"Well, we're boned." Jenkins groaned.

MEANWHILE…

Angel lay down on her bed, groaning. Her body ached…she needed a nap. She stretched her arms and lay on her side, stroking her yet-unborn baby.

"Maybe you'll have your daddy's eyes…or my nose? Or maybe you'll look like a gigantic gumball…" She thought out loud. "I can't wait to see how you turn out, babe."

She then yawned, stretched once more, and slid off the bed. She needed to use the bathroom.

She didn't see the form that slunk in through the window, dropping a small pill into the glass of water by her bed. Nor the sick grin on his face. And naturally, she didn't see him slink OUT of the window…

What she did see what she got back was a glass of water with nothing in it. Which was what she was SUPPOSED to see. So she drank it…

Rupert had decided to go get a drink himself. Some white wine would do him good. He sat down at the bar of Ariel's Aerie as the beautiful white experiment poured him a glass.

"You would not BELIEVE the day I had." He told her.

Ariel had finished pouring his drink. She held up her notepad and wrote down "Try me" on it.

Rupert took a deep breath and began speaking. He told her everything that had happened, from the moment Stitch and Angel had given him the job, to meeting up with the members of the task force, to arriving at the bar, to Esmeralda's dance and the feeding frenzy that followed, the task force's retribution against the vampires and finally them arriving at the island and starting the hunt for Voltrinnia and Santanico.

Ariel took all of this in, nodding. She looked horrified at the parts involving the vampires, and seemed concerned when Rupert told her about Voltrinnia and Santanico being loose on the island.

"I just had to get away and…and take a little break." He mumbled, taking a long sip of the white wine.

Ariel was quiet for a few moments. Then she wrote "You should go to Daveigh and Ashton."

Rupert dropped the glass.

"By Sude, you're right." He stated. "Santanico's lover…he is that no-do-gooder Eclipse, she'll probably go after her…I've…I've gotta get going!" He immediately kissed Ariel on the cheek and ran outside of the bar, waving goodbye and hollering "THANK YOU" back at her.

Ariel held her hand to her cheek, then a small smile broke out. That had…that had felt good. Then she raced over to the phone and began dialing. She motioned for CJ to come over and wrote out what he should tell the police…

Rupert bolted down the street at full speed. He had to get to her house, he had to get to her house…

He got to her house. Unfortunately, Santanico had gotten there first.

"Hana ma'i 'Ilio wahine!" He swore in Hawaiian at the sight that greeted him.

Ashton and Daveigh had been tied up to chairs and were obviously frightened out of their minds, the expression on their faces gave everything away. Santanico had raised a single claw and a pinkish ball of flame had formed. She slowly moved it under Ashton's chin, and sizzling noises sparked up, making him cry out from the gag that was stuffed in both his and Daveigh's mouth.

"Mmm. I like them well done." Santanico laughed. "I feel like making you watch, but…I think I'm going to make THEM watch." She said, that catlike grin on her face. She removed the flame from beneath Ashton's cheek and blew it out.

"Oh, I paid him to take off…said I'd let him live if he left. He took the chance." Esmeralda said calmly.

"**_Ooh_**...I swear, I will DESTROY you if you harm either of them!" Rupert howled.

"Awww, do you** LOVE** them, little mouse?" She asked, her voice mocking him.

MEANWHILE…

"Stand still, you little brat!" Voltrinnia shouted. "I always wanted to put a bullet in you, you little kāmehaʻi!" She shouted.

"WAWAU!" Jay shouted right back, leaping from tree to tree as Voltrinnia fired off her sub machine gun at him. Bonnie, Clyde and Heartwing were racing through the jungle while Jay drew Voltrinnia's fire away, sending insults at her.

"You can't dodge forever!" She snarled.

"Oh yes I caaaan!" Jenkins laughed, leaping off a tree. He grabbed onto a branch and pulled it down…down…

Vee rushed at him. "I am gonna-"

He let go.

THWACKA!

The tree ricocheted back and smacked Voltrinnia across the head. She dropped the gun and groaned in pain.

"GET HER!" Heartwing shouted, leaping on her. Bonnie and Clyde grabbed her and Jenkins rushed forward, grinning. They had her now!

Voltrinnia put up a struggle, but eventually they knocked her out, and succeeded in bringing her into town, just as Jude arrived at the police station with Father Michael. Stitch and Angel looked at the unconscious Voltrinnia and then looked at Jay.

"You sure she's unconscious?" Stitch asked.

"We've got her." Jenkins said, jabbing a thumb at her.

Jude suddenly got a crazy idea. He walked over to Voltrinnia, going behind her. Then he held her head up.

"What on EARTH are you doing?" Angel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Trying something Daveigh told me about." Jude said. He opened his mouth and bit Vee clear on the neck.

Then something STRANGE happened. Voltrinnia began convulsing rapidly, her hair settling down, her eyes returning to gold. She was slowly changing back to normal. Finally she gasped, and fell to the ground, holding one hand to her chest.

"Wh…what happened? Where am I? What's been going on, last thing I remember I'm surrounded by f—kin' vampires and then…one big blur!"

"I KNEW it!" Jude said. "Bite from a holy man on an unholy being turns the thing back to normal. Daveigh was right."

"I can't believe that actually WORKED." Bonnie gaped.

"On the bright side, now we only gotta kill Santanico." Clyde said. "Where is that ʻĪlio wahine anyway?"

WHERE INDEED…

"Let them go!" Rupert shouted. "You coward!"

"Pa'a ka waha!" Santanico shouted. "Or I kill them right now." She added, pointing at Ashton. "Beginning with the little beatnik. I could use a little fry-up."

Rupert's paws balled into fists. His teeth grinded back and forth.

"Now then…" Santanico grinned and snapped her fingers. A large ring of pink fire hovered through the air, circling, sizzling and sparkling with energy. "Touch it and you'll be screaming…of course, you'll be screaming soon enough…" Santanico whispered. "I just like to play with my food before I-"

She suddenly blinked, gasping. Then she swore. "Awwww, 'Ai Kae!" She swore. "Somehow they released Vee from my control!"

Rupert's eyes went wide. Vee was free!

"Don't think YOU'RE getting away though. You and Grey can be my consolation prizes."

Rupert blinked. Then his eyes narrowed.

"What unspeakable doings have you done to him?!" He demanded in a soft voice.

Santanico put her hand over her mouth, eyes wide in mock surprise. "Ooh! Did I say that?" She grinned. "Alright, I'll tell you…it can be the gift of despair. I kidnapped him and the foolish little lamb is now locked up in a secret room located right beneath the one place nobody would think to look for him, the one place _nobody_ would expect to find him. He's in there with a woman…and my sweetheart Eclipse sprayed a special compound that triggers intense hunger in experiments. He'll eat her alive." Santanico whispered.

"Why would you do something like that?" Rupert asked, eyes wide with horror.

Santanico smirked. "Don't you know? We're interested in BREAKING him, Rupert. If he's broken, he can't be a threat to us killing Daveigh."

Rupert growled. "You sick, evil-"

Santanico snapped her fingers and the band of pink energy constricted around him, burning his fur. He howled in pain. She then continued, walking over to Rupert.

"I've got big plans for this island. I'll become its mother." She said, smirking. "I might not be mother of the year material, but the children of this island and of Niihau and Oahu will grow to love me, just as they'll grow to worship Eclipse."

Rupert's eyes narrowed in pain and fury. He spat at her.

"What? Don't you like girls?" She asked, rubbing her bare naked chest with one hand. "You're not the first one I've done this to. Do you know how those vampires at the "Hooters" became vampires?"

"You infected them. How…did you even…**get** vampire blood?" Rupert growled through the pain.

"I had very good help with a willing benefactor who happily supplied it, as well as the locations of test subjects." She grinned. "I infected all those waitresses a long time ago." She whispered. "Back when they were just babes. You see, I ran some tests…"

She leisurely strolled around Rupert, looking up in a sort of "ho hum, what a nice day" fashion as if there wasn't a care in the world. "I discovered that in order for **me** to convert humans into vampires, they had to gain a taste first for human DNA…and it had to be introduced through lacteal sustenance."

Rupert blinked in confusion. "The DNA had to be introduced through the process of lactation? Breast-feeding, you mean?"

That horrible grin passed over Santanico's face. "Yes." She agreed.

Suddenly Rupert realized what she was saying. "…you…you couldn't have…" He said, voice breaking.

"I did." Santanico said, picking her teeth. "I devoured their mothers and fathers. They continued to live on as a part of me, and they were passed on to my new "children" as I fed them their old parents through my breasts. It was really quite simple. I had to do a little bit of DNA experimentation of my body, but otherwise…"

"Oh good LORD…" Rupert gasped. "How-how could you do something so sick?! Feeding children their own parents like that?!"

She just smiled. "It was easy. And fun. And more importantly, tasty."

Rupert suddenly knew he was capable of killing her without any hint of mercy.

"Now as for your little human friends…" Santanico began. "I'm not going to drain Daveigh dry the way I will to Ashton. I'll leave her alive after I've eaten you. Then I'll eat what's left of Ashton and feed him to her through my breasts. She'll belong to me and she'll become my pet. Since she's going to be my new pet…." Santanico tapped her feet on the ground, hands on her hips, looking up. "What do you think I should name her? Oh, I know…Fluffy." She laughed.

She walked over to him, grinning horribly again. "I'll enjoy this. I will become the Madonna of Hawaii, worshipped and admired." She whispered.

Suddenly Rupert felt a surge of power rush through him. He stomped through the floor and it cracked. He promptly fell through with a cry. Santanico blinked. "What the?"

Daveigh and Ashton blinked. What was he up to?

Suddenly a black, furry hand reached up through the floor and grabbed Santanico's leg as two pale blue eyes peered out from the darkness beneath the floor.

"**Welcome to HELL." **The diabolical voice said with a fanged sneer, pulling Santanico down through the floor. She screamed horribly as she vanished down below.

Santanico awoke to find Rupert right in front of her…and they were both in the basement. She gasped as He grinned down at her, arms crossed. He'd changed…now he could hear an electric guitar rocking through his eardrums as a heroic spirit rose in him. He was no longer raging…he was not afraid. He fur was the color of gold, his eyes blazed a beautiful purple and he had a white cape flowing from behind him. He looked down at her.

"Okay ESMERALDA. You wanted to be a Madonna?" He asked, looking down at her, his voice now without any accent. He sounded quite a lot like a superhero now. "Well then…"

He grabbed her by the shoulder and then they flew through the air, up through the hole and through the roof. They landed in the room that had at one point belonged to Nani and Rupert tossed her onto the bed, floating over to her.

"Lady Madonna, lying on the bed…" He raised his paw into the air and it glowed silvery, the aura swirling around him in an "x" fashion. "Listen to the music playing in your head!"

He slammed the paw squarely down on her forehead and she let out a howl…

Daveigh and Ashton watched, amazed, as Rupert hovered back down from the hole in the roof. He floated over to them and cut through the ropes with a single kick of his feet, and they leapt out of their seats.

"You were AMAZING, man!" Ashton said. "But…where's?"

At that moment, the cops burst in, with Stitch, Angel, Heartwing and the others right behind. "Daveigh! Ashton!" Sandy shouted, rushing over and hugging them. "You're alright…you're alright…" He sobbed.

"Rupert…you look beautiful!" Angel gasped.

"Why thank you, milady." Rupert stated, nodding and smiling.

"You sound like "Major Man"!" Daveigh said in awe.

"Where is Esmeralda? I mean, Santanico?"

"Upstairs. On the bed. Follow me." Rupert said, hovering through the air and up the stairs. They all followed after him and to the room. When Rupert pushed the door open, they saw her. She was lying on the bed, her eyes wide open, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

"Wh-what did you DO?" Heartwing asked.

"I gave her a punishment with some magical power. She's being forced to listen to a 1000 different Hymns." Rupert informed them all. "Maybe by the time she's finished, she'll no longer be evil and be ready to make up for all the cruelty she's committed."

"But where's Grey?" Stitch asked.

"Santanico told me that he's hidden in a room beneath the one place nobody would think to look for him." Rupert told them.

"Where nobody would think to look for him?" Daveigh asked.

Everyone thought about this. Then they all said the same thing at the exact same time.

"_**The HOSPITAL!"**_

…

…

…

…"I'm so, so sorry…" Grey sobbed into the woman quietly. He was holding her tightly to his chest. She was very, very weak, but even so she was struggling, desperate not to die. "I'm so sorry." He repeated.

He began crushing the woman's chest. She let out a horrible gasp, and tears sprang to her eyes. "Please…" The word slipped out of her mouth. "No…"

He closed his eyes, and a tear slipped out. "It's been so long…I hunger…"

His mouth opened wide, revealing his sharp, pearly-white fangs. Instinct took over.

…

…

…

"Grey?!" Daveigh shouted the moment they busted the door down. It had taken everyone striking it all at once with everything they had, but they'd blown it down. "Grey, what's going-oh…oh no…"

Grey's fur was matted with blood. His pants had been caked with blood as well, and had brief sprinklings on his lips. His eyes were wide and a horrible look was on his face. His mouth was partially open, and the smell of his breath and of his meal drifted through the air, making Ashton, Daviegh and Rupert sick. He was lying there against the wall, one hand open, lying by his side, the other on his stomach, his claws digging in. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he cried silently and his body shook slightly.

"Grey…oh God, Grey, what did they do to you?" Rupert asked.

"I'm a monster…I'm a monster…" Grey whispered. "I couldn't stop myself…I was so hungry…I ate her, Rupert, I ate her ALIVE…"

He closed his eyes and raised his head to "look" up at the ceiling, crying loudly. Stitch and Angel walked over, helping him up as he continued to cry.

"I did something bad…" He sobbed. "I did something really bad…"

…

…

…

…it would take a while for Grey to be calmed down. And eventually he'd forgive himself. But for the next week he wouldn't speak to anyone, and refused to eat much of anything. Rupert was handsomely paid for his efforts in defeating Santanico, and both Daveigh and Ashton got over what had happened at the house soon enough. Barty would have been punished...if Stitch and Angel had known he abandoned Daveigh and Ashton when Esmeralda had tried to hurt them. But they would never find out, Rupert, that expert liar, had told a whopper of a tale with the worm-tail helping him out. Bartimaeus had fought bravely, but he was not meant to be a fighter, and he had been harshly thrown out the window, forced to crawl away, desperately croaking for somebody to come and help the children...a lie that was re-enforced by Rupert dusting Barty in small glass shards and giving him a few good cuts with a knife, nobody would ever know the difference. In exchange though, Barty would have to do taxes and find loopholes in the forms for Rupert at his clinic and in taking care of Ashton and Daveigh. Naturally, Bartimaeus agreed. Any chance to avoid a trip to the stomach of Angel was a chance any smart opportunist took.

After a week, Grey finally gained the courage to speak at the breakfast table.

"Even though my head says it wasn't my fault…" He put his hand over his heart. "This guy says otherwise…"

Rupert put down his spoon and stopped eating his oatmeal. He sighed and put both hands on the table.

"Grey…look at me."

Grey looked up into Rupert's red eyes.

"I know it hurts down there. For a long time my head said that it wasn't my fault that I'd done evil as my brother, but my heart said something else. Then I realized the truth…there are some circumstances that go beyond our control, and until we can get a foothold, we can't change them…and that can take years. All I'm saying…is that you were in a circumstance you couldn't control…it wasn't your fault."

"…"

Grey looked down at his breakfast. Then he smiled a little.

"I'm glad I have a friend like you." He said quietly.

"Me too." Rupert said. "Me too…"

Then a phone call came. Rupert blinked. "Who could that be? It's the weekend!" He hopped out of his chair and went over to the phone by the kitchen counter, hopping onto the counter and picking it up.

"Hello? What? WHAT? By Sude! I'll be right over!"

Rupert turned to Daveigh, Grey and Ashton. "624 is having her baby right NOW!" He shouted. "I have to get over there and deliver it!"

"How is this even happening?" Grey asked, amazed.

…

…

…

…Angel and Stitch had been in bed. Stitch had woken up and smiled at Angel gently. "Good morning." He'd whispered softly to her, stroking her lovingly.

"Morning." She'd told him right back. "Boy, I'M HUNGRY. How about some scrambled-OOHH…OOOOHHH!"

She suddenly grabbed her stomach, screaming in pain. Stitch had jumped up, holding her tightly. "Angel, what's wrong?"

"I-I think…I think the baby's coming NOW!" She shouted. "Ca-call the hospital! Call a doctor! SOMEONE!" She begged, falling back on the bed, and clutching the sheets so hard her knuckles almost shot up through her fists.

Stitch had made the call to the closest doctor. But he couldn't understand. The baby was coming early…this rarely happened with experiments…usually it took a lot longer for them to be developed…what was going on?

SOON…

Angel was screaming in pain on the bed. Stitch was outside, rubbing his wrists and hands over and over in nervousness while Rupert, Grey, Daveigh and Ashton were delivering the baby. Rupert turned to Grey. "Hold her down so we can administer the sedative." He said quickly.

Grey nodded and held Angel down as gently, yet firmly as he could with his hands. Rupert turned to Daveigh.

"Daveigh, you know where 624's veins are?"

She nodded.

"Sedative, quick." Rupert told her.

Daveigh held the needle up and carefully slid it into Angel's arm, getting a vein. Angel began to calm down, panting less heavily.

"All right, now you're going to need to PUSH, alright?" Rupert told her. "No panicking acts of panic! Keep CALM, 624, and you'll work through this!"

She nodded, sweat pouring down her brow. Rupert was sweating pretty badly too, as well as Ashton and Daveigh.

"Ashton, get the towels!" He said.

Ashton ran out of the room and into the bathroom nearby. He then ran back out with towels

"Alright, Angel, you're going to be alright…" Daviegh said softly. "Just hold on, okay, just hold on…on…on…"

Everything went swimmy for Angel's vision…and then finally she passed out.

She woke up to find Stitch holding her hand. He was looking at her with the utmost concern. "Are you alright?" He asked her softly.

"I…I suppose…" She whispered. She rubbed her head, it ached like a hammer had been striking her over and over.

Daveigh, Ashton and Grey were all standing by the bed, a look of incredible sorrow on their faces.

"Where's the baby?" Angel asked.

They were all quiet.

"Why isn't it crying?" She asked.

Rupert slowly walked through the bedroom door from the bathroom. His eyes were widened slightly, his eyebrows slightly raised. His mouth was formed in an expression of terrible loss and sympathy. He looked…old…

"624…I am so very sorry…" He whispered. He had a bundle wrapped in his arms and slowly walked up to Angel. He put the bundle in her arms. "I'm so sorely sorry. She…she was…there was nothing I could do."

Stitch held tightly onto Angel as she took the bundle in her hands and looked down at her daughter that would never see her mother or father's face.

Angel screamed.

...

...

...

...His nickname was "Sammy". And he was pleased.

Very pleased.

"Oh, what a shame. Too bad. So sad." He remarked, looking through the window and hearing Angel scream. He shrugged, then flew into the air on his bony wings.

"I almost feel BAD for her…well…" He began to giggle. "Not really…but it's more mocking to say something like that. Continue to despair, 624…let your fury out upon the supplanter…if he will not fulfill the cycle and become the overlord…"

He grinned, revealing teeth the color of blood that reflected in the moonlight.

"Then he…will…DIE…heh…heh-heh. Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, WA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAHHH!" He threw his head back and laughed…and laughed…

And the laughter of the Beast echoed on into the night.

**Author's Note:**

**A dramatic end to a dramatic arc. Yes I'm pretty twisted. I hope you don't go to Hell for thinking up ideas like those…**

**Moving along. I am writing a sequel to this story that will be...dare I say...epic. It will feature more brave struggles, the futher development of the people of Kokaua Town, and also a grand showdown as the clash between good and evil reaches a level that has never been reached before in Hawaii. I will call it "Nobody Gets Left Behind", and it will finally resolve what happens to Rupert Jacques von Hamsterviel. **

**I want to say this to all of you though: Do you know why I write? I'll tell you...because I enjoy it. Immensely. It's a LOT of fun for me. And when I see people are enjoying the writing I produce that makes me happier still. I believe that as long as you create something that makes people truly happy, as long as you make something that others enjoy, you can consider yourself an artist. A cook can be an artist, a kid making macaroni sculptures can be an artist. ANYONE can be an artist. **

**Before I end this story, I want to say some other words: One, I would not have gotten this far without inspiration, and a great deal came from Wormtail96. You are the man. Even your real name is cool. I mean "Rhys Southall" is just _kickass_! **

**Two, I owe a lot of good reviews and critique to avatarjk137. 123qaz's been really helpful to me too, so mahalo very much to you both! **

**Also, I was greatly inspired by fanfic writers ElectricCircusLover and StitchFreak626. I know StitchFreak626 from Deviantart and she's an amazing artist whom I look up to, along with the famous Ribera and Sheeko636. I have tried to pay some tribute to them and other L&S fans in this story and I intend to include more in the sequel, as well as answer some questions I've deliberately left unanswered in this story.**

**Finally, some might wonder "Why focus on Hammy"? Because I feel immense pity for him. I have always felt that he got too much of a raw deal, and nobody is born into the world hating it, so I had to think "why would somebody turn out the way he did"? I think like that about a lot of villains. And I hope perhaps I've provided an interesting...if not complex...answer.**

**So folks, while you're around, just sit down and enjoy the many stories that Fan Fiction Dot Net has to offer...and if you haven't already, review my story by all means. If a particular chapter catches your attention, write so. **

**And until we meet again...aloha. Oh, and take care of yourselves and each other, okay? :)**


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